YULETIDE CANTICLE
by belli486
Summary: Bella's damaged heart will kill her short of a miracle. Edward struggles to abstain from human blood & meets his Yuletide Canticle while Xmas shopping.  As hopelessness & hunger collide, can he give life to the one whose blood sings to him like no other?
1. Preface

**A/N: I'd like to thank my friend, katinki (author of the fabulously brilliant vampire fic, Dark Games & Twisted Minds, among others) for pre-reading and giving me ideas on fleshing this out from the original version written on the Twilight Gift Exchange. Also, special thanks to Irritable Grizzzly, my beta and friend with the twitchy red pen, and SavageWoman, my sometimes writing partner, and beta for helping me on this work in progress. Readers, these ladies deserve your many thanks for the beauty of my words as they are posted.**

**Summary:** Bella's heart is so severely damaged from a lingering childhood illness. She has been told she will die, short of a heart transplant or a miracle. Edward is a vampire who struggles with abstaining from human blood, but encounters, in Bella, his Yuletide Canticle while Christmas shopping. What happens when hopelessness and hunger collide? How do you give life to the very one whose blood sings to you like no other?

**YULETIDE CANTICLE **

_**Prologue**_

"My sister, Alice, has the gift of seeing the future. My brother, Jasper, who is also Alice's mate, can manipulate and control the emotions of others. I can read minds."

"Wait, so if you can read minds, why didn't you just tell me what I was thinking a few minutes ago?" Her cheeks grew a dark pink at the prospect.

"Your mind is closed to me," he said as if he were quite pleased with that fact.

"Is there something wrong with me, I mean, besides the obvious?"

He chuckled. "I have confessed to you that I am a vampire and can read minds, and you think there's something wrong with you?"

"I have rheumatic heart disease, and my mind can't be read by my gifted vampire boyfriend. I find that kind of problematic," she said, chagrined.

He laughed outright then, and it was like music to her ears.

"So glad you find me amusing," she said with a playful smirk.

"Bella, I do find you amusing, but I also find you kind and compassionate, intriguing and brilliant, mysterious and exciting, and utterly delectable."

She was quiet for a few seconds. "Did you want to… kill me… when we first met?"

"Yes, I wanted your blood more than any I have encountered in all my years as a vampire."

"What stopped you?"

"Alice," he said simply, but she could see disappointment in himself on his face.

"She called you when we were in the exhibition hall at _Les Salons Des Métiers D' Art_. Now I remember."

"Alice convinced me that you were important to my future. That you are my future." He reached out and caressed her cheek with his cool hand.

Bella placed her warm hand over his. "I want to believe Alice. I want to believe that we have a future, but I know what the doctors have been telling me. Do you know of any vampire who has the power to heal humans?"

"As a rule, my kind is consumed with taking the lives of humans, not preserving them."


	2. Chapter 1  Yuletide Canticle

**A/N: Yuletide canticle literally means Christmas Song. I thought this title apropros given that Edward meets Bella, his singer, during the Christmas Holidays.**

**Definitions from Wikipedia:**

**Yuletide is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic peoples as a pagan religious festival, thought it was later absorbed into, an equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January on a date determined by the lunar Germanic calendar.**

**A Canticle (from the Latin canticulum, a diminutive of canticum, song) is a hymn (strictly excluding the Psalms) taken from the Bible. The term is often expanded to include ancient non-biblical hymns such as the Te Deum and certain psalms used liturgically.**

**Thanks to Shug, who beta'd this for The Twilight Gift Exchange, and thanks to Katinki for pre-reading and giving me constructive criticism. Special thanks to SavageWoman and IrritableGrizzzly for hanging in there with me through this re-write. :D Read all their stuff, people. They are all fabulous authors who give of their time to help my stories not suck when you read them.**

**YULETIDE CANTICLE **

_**Chapter 1**_

If vampires were prone to human frailty, he would have a raging migraine by now from the mere minutes he'd been immersed in the melee that humans referred to as "Christmas shopping." Not only were his ears being assaulted by sound at a higher decibel and wider frequency than that of mortal abilities, but also his mind was hearing the thoughts of throngs of festival-goers and passersby who came within his mind's reading distance.

He could block it all or manipulate his ability to pinpoint one individual, but found it useful to read the minds of humans when he was interacting freely among them. It gave him a gauge as to whether he was truly blending in, or if an overly observant human was suspicious of his true nature.

As it happened, more often than not, humans of the female persuasion were attracted by his preternatural beauty and otherworldly charms, which they found very hard to resist. Because he held himself in an aloof manner and punctuated it with a glare that said, "Look your fill but don't dare approach," they usually left him to his own devices. He was, after all, Edward Cullen, Vampire.

However, there was always at least one human who either ignored the glare, was incapable of reading social clues, or was just plain oblivious of his or her own internal danger alarms until it was too late. On more than one occasion while in Denali, he'd been unable to exercise the self-control that his creator and adoptive father Carlisle had passed on to him from his decades of existence; and the inquisitive humans had not met a good end.

It was this propensity he had for deviating from the less than desirable vampire diet that caused him to separate himself from his family yet again. They liked to call themselves "vegetarians" because, for the most part, they abstained from human blood. While Carlisle and most of their coven were largely adapted to the practice of existing on the blood of animals, he and his brother Jasper were the two who were highly susceptible to slip-ups.

Jasper was much better at moving past the guilt and recrimination undoubtedly due to his training as a soldier when he was human and from being the leader of a newborn vampire army shortly after he was changed. He surmised that Jasper used the tactics he'd learned as coping mechanisms to stifle the guilt.

This made Jasper better able to compartmentalize the humans he killed as collateral damage, purely because of his vampire nature, over which he had tenuous control. Jasper also had a mate in Alice, Edward's favorite sibling, who was devoted to their lifestyle and would never hear of Jasper leaving the coven because of his weakness.

The irony was not lost on him that early in his life as a vampire, he'd used his mindreading ability and killed humans who were of unsavory character or outright sociopaths. He'd justified his behavior by convincing himself that taking their lives was a blessing to their would-be victims.

Carlisle, in his idealistic belief that vampires were capable of redemption, found even these incidences of vigilantism unacceptable, if not downright appalling. Usually, in his desire not to disappoint his adoptive father, Edward eventually relented and returned to following their coven's chosen diet—most of the time.

A part of him argued that he was devoid of humanity, so how could he be expected not to act according to his very nature? This was a conundrum with which he struggled daily, given his ability to know the deepest and darkest thoughts of anyone with whom he came in contact. Having been nurtured for decades by Carlisle, who was as good through-and-through as the most devout human soul, he was unable to stand idly by and do nothing whenever he came across abject evil, human or vampire. His conscience would not allow it.

On more than one occasion, he had tipped off the authorities regarding the human monsters he discovered, and enlisted his brothers' help when he identified the few sociopathic vampires they had encountered. These activities he also kept from Carlisle, certain that his father would eschew any attempt to meddle in the affairs of fate. Edward loathed his own hypocrisy, but over the decades of his existence, he'd come to terms with what he was: a monster.

He moved at a human pace through the West Exhibition Hall at Place Bonaventure, careful to mimic human mannerisms so as not to draw unwanted attention. It was the beginning of a month-long festival, _Les Salons Des Métiers D'Art_, one of Montreal's premier arts festivals. He'd decided to brave this event only because his adoptive mother Esme was enamored with the works of Diane Sullivan, an artist from Williamsburg, Ontario, whose specialty was ceramic art, specifically pottery and sculpture.

Since he would not be with them for yet another holiday, he'd been encouraged by Alice–—though "badgered" might have been a more appropriate word–—to send a special gift to Esme, who missed him the most, followed by Alice herself. More than any other members of his family, he and Alice stayed in contact, largely due to her ability to see the future.

Even though she was far away, she strove to notify him if she saw anything troubling or problematic coming his way. Alice's abilities had saved him from many would-be lapses, both in Denali and now here in Montreal. A few times, she'd been unable to warn him beforehand, but that was because they were impulsive.

In preparation for his foray into the city from his remote dwelling in Laval, just north of Montreal, he'd taken a two-day hunting trip into the forests of Quebec and the Laurentian mountains. He'd scored several Moose and white-tailed deer, engorging himself thoroughly in order to withstand the onslaught of humanity he would encounter in the various markets and malls. He'd been hoping to encounter a black bear, but they were already hibernating for the winter, and he just wasn't interested in tracking a sleeping bear to its cave and having to coax it into a fight. He liked the blood when it was pumping furiously with adrenaline.

Since he was away from his family on a holiday that held much sentimental value, he felt the least he could do was send each of them a token of his affection. In actuality, he _could_ _not _return to Denali. His last indiscretion prior to his departure had been to kill Tanya's human lover who had gotten a little too curious about them.

Tanya and her sisters were also part of a small coven. They led a similar lifestyle, the only difference being they regularly took human lovers. Tanya's lover had been a reporter and had all but revealed in his thoughts that he knew what they were, and his intention had been to publish an expose', which would have undoubtedly brought the Volturi, their governing body, down on both their covens.

The Volturi had voiced their displeasure many times over Carlisle's chosen lifestyle and his charismatic ability to woo other vampires to follow him. However, Aro, Marcus, and Caius, the Volturi's triune leadership, had reluctantly given Carlisle and his family latitude to live as they pleased, as long as they kept the cardinal vampiric law: keep humans unaware of their existence. Carlisle once lived in Volterra, Italy amongst the rulers and their eccentricities, but their avuncular style of brutality had driven him away, and he set out to build a different kind of life for himself. The Volturi were not fond of the sanctity the Cullens and other vegetarian vampires had for human life. In their opinion, it went against their nature and posed a very real threat to their discovery, given the close proximity in which the vegetarian covens lived and existed among humans.

Tanya was convinced that Edward had killed Jonathan Landry out of jealousy; however, she overestimated her charms and totally misread or disregarded all the signals he'd been sending her over the years. While Edward found her beautiful, the extent of his feelings for her had been strictly platonic affection. A thinly-veiled friendship, if you will. He'd never had a sexual attraction to her. This perplexed him because all of his siblings had found suitable mates early in their years, but he'd gone decade after decade without once having found a woman who appealed to him in that way.

He decided that his ability to read minds had literally turned him off to most females, robbing him of the delight that most men reveled in—the "mystery" of woman. He'd grown accustomed to the idea that he'd been rendered a eunuch and was destined never to have a mate. Despite his early acceptance of his plight, he sometimes yearned for a loving relationship, much like the ones both his human and vampire parents, and siblings, enjoyed. If the truth were told, this fact alone did more to exacerbate his desire to separate himself from his family than his inability to adhere to the _lifestyle_.

Having read and memorized the map of the exhibition hall, he knew he had to be nearing booth #828, where Ms. Sullivan's work was to be shown. He'd decided to make the trek on Saturday, December fifth because Esme was interested in a rare piece that could possibly be sold prior to the closing of the Sullivan show on the thirteenth.

There were also the minor details to consider. Even though he was nervous about the items arriving on time—and he could transport them himself at vampire speed faster than by mail or courier—he simply could not bring himself to set foot back in Denali just now.

Tuning out the audible voices of the humans around him, he honed in exclusively on thoughts as he wended his way through the patrons milling around the exhibition hall. The _Quebecois_, as natives of Quebec referred to themselves, were almost exclusively French speakers. Many were bilingual and spoke English out of necessity for tourists. Therefore, he was hearing thoughts in both French and English as he made his final approach to Ms. Sullivan's booth.

He had to remind himself to move at human speed. Since he'd been secluded at his home in Laval for so long, he wasn't accustomed to trying to fit in. The only time he slowed to human speed was when he was playing his piano.

Finally reaching his destination, he scanned the booth. The selection of Diane Sullivan's Arabesque Pottery was vast, but he was looking for a very specific piece. A petite brunette wearing an artist's smock bearing Diane Sullivan's name, spotted him and headed his way.

_"Il est magnifique,"_ she thought as she approached him.*

However, she spoke to him in English. "How may I help you?" Her words were polite; however, her thoughts were anything but. _"Mais dites-moi plutôt que vous voulez me l'offrir, beau mec."_

Ignoring her thoughts and careful not to react to them, Edward thought in response, _Believe me Mademoiselle, you really don't want me to give you anything, _however he answered, "Yes, I am interested in one of Ms. Sullivan's one-of-a-kind pieces from her Chinese collection."

"Oui, Monsieur. They are in the back of the booth. Follow me," she said very professionally. However, her immediate thought was, _"Oui, suivez-moi à la réserve et prenez-moi contre le mur." _

Edward rolled his eyes in exasperation and followed her to the back. There would be no taking up against walls, particularly if this young woman desired to survive this transaction with her life. He was glad that he was so sated by his hunting trip that his throat just barely registered a tickle from the smell of her blood.

"These are sculptures that Ms. Sullivan completed while she was in China in 2006. You can see they are all similar, yet very much one-of-a-kind. Each has its own unique signature." She looked at him expectantly and put on her sexiest smile. "The soft green glaze is celadon. It was created by the Chinese to emulate the characteristics of jade, which they believed to be imbued with protective and healing qualities. Jade, and therefore celadon, was held in high esteem as the embodiment of the vitality of the celestial dragon. She has combined it with a dark metallic glaze that suggests the strength and magical protective properties of iron. In medieval times, iron was thought to protect one against the evil eye. Thus you have the protection of heaven and earth coming together on the surface of this work."

As she finished her spiel, a human couple approached. "_Excusez-moi s'il vous plait_?" The woman inquired timidly.

"_Un moment s'il vous plait_," the salesgirl answered. Then turned back to him, "Would you care to take one with you today?"

Edward was ecstatic that someone else was there to distract her and he could make his purchase and beat a hasty retreat. "I'll just make my selection and tender my payment at the register. Thank you for your time," he said, turning back to the sculptures and handily dismissing her.

Having already located the sculpture that Alice had described to him, he studied it and the surrounding sculptures to make absolutely sure it was the right one. The piece Esme wanted was an Asian bird feeder, which had a blackbird perched on the rim of the bird feeder's bowl.

As he took the sculpture and turned to leave, careful not to crush the porcelain statue, a small brown-haired female human collided with him. Having not bothered to breathe while he'd been making the selection, he opened his mouth to make his apologies and caught the first whiff of her scent, which sent him staggering back from her as if he'd been hit by a wrecking ball. Involuntarily, a low inaudible growl rumbled deep within him. His teeth were bared, but to the human eye, it probably looked like he was scowling at her.

As she began apologizing profusely, he studied her for a few brief seconds. Admittedly, she was an attractive human. She had a rather cherubic, heart-shaped face with lips so pink they were almost red. She had wavy shoulder-length hair and her skin was almost as pale as his was; the only difference being, she had blood coursing through her veins, which lent it a translucent pinkish tinge.

His skin, if you could call it that, was as hard as granite, and the veins that formerly carried blood now coursed with venom so deadly, he need only prick her supple skin once with his razor-sharp teeth to introduce it into her veins and transform her into what he was. He could not discern why that thought had occurred to him first. What he really wanted to do more than anything else was bite into her jugular and drain her of every drop of her sweet aromatic blood.

"_Excusez-moi, Monsieur_," she pleaded in her tentative French. "_Je suis vraiment désolée. Je suis trop maladroite. Veuillez me pardonner._"

All he could think of while she was apologizing was his overpowering thirst. Her blood called to him so savagely, he felt as if he were a wild huntsman of Medieval folklore. In the same way the villagers, who had the misfortune of seeing _The Hunt_, were cursed to die. The sight of him, crouched in preparation to strike, would presage her very death. However, all she could do was continue her apologies, oblivious to the danger he posed. Her blood sang to him like the _Hallelujah Chorus_, and the savoriness of her scent was like _Babette's Feast_. Could he resist so sumptuous a meal? He realized in that moment that if he did not leave her presence, he would disappoint his family yet again.

He concentrated his ability solely on her to hear what reaction she was having to him, but there was only a disconcerting silence. Either this young woman had no thoughts, or for the first time ever, here was a person he could not read. Was that even possible? Listening carefully, the only things he could hear were her rather labored moist breathing, the erratic beating of her heart, and the rushing of delicious blood through her veins. He shook his head as if to remove that thought from his mind, because he really didn't know how much longer he would be able to contain himself in her presence.

The venom was pooling in his mouth so rapidly, he couldn't swallow it fast enough. It burned down his throat like a seven-alarm fire, her blood calling to him like drugs to the addicted. He'd read the minds of many people who were strung-out on everything from laudanum to heroin, to the crack cocaine of today, and he realized his feelings echoed theirs.

Before he could make the decision to move away from her and careful to do so in human rather than vampire speed, he heard an insistent ringing, which confounded and astonished him all at once. It was the shrill insistence of the sound that finally brought him to the realization that it was his cell phone.

"_Il n'y a rien de cassé_," he growled to the brown-haired girl in rapid French as he lurched away from her.

Desperately clutching the base of the sculpture, he felt pieces of it giving way. He held his breath, quickly smoothing the grooves as he retrieved the phone from his pocket to answer it. Of course, it was Alice.

"Edward," she warned ominously, "if you kill the brown-haired girl, you will regret it for the rest of your life."

"Alice, what are you talking about?" he asked before he realized he was talking at human speed and quickly switched over. "It's going to be more difficult than any other time. This one has blood more decadent than any I have smelled in all my years."

"Trust me," Alice pleaded. "This human will be very important to you in the very near future. I've seen it."

"The blood of this one is like the _canticum canticorum_. I am drawn to it like no other, and I am afraid I will not be able to resist." As he was speaking, venom again pooled effortlessly in his mouth, and he swallowed it down without breathing.

"Edward," Alice begged, "If you kill this girl, you may never find your soul mate. You could go another several hundred years without someone to share your existence."

He glanced at the almost insignificant brown-haired girl, who was staring longingly at a pitcher in the collection. His first thought was that he could pierce her jugular before anyone noticed and take care of the three salesgirls and the artist before they knew what was happening. He could hide all five bodies in the storeroom until he was able to dispose of them, taking them out the back door and into his waiting car. If he moved at vampire speed, it was highly unlikely that anyone would see anything. The women wouldn't be missed until he was long-gone and had buried their bodies in a remote part of the vast forests of Quebec.

This was absolutely what he wanted to do, but Alice's words had given him pause. Could she really mean that this pale, human, slip of a girl, was meant to be his mate? How was this possible? Even the Denali coven's practice of taking human lovers was distasteful to him. In addition, considering how tantalizing her blood was, how would he be able to resist killing her long enough to pursue her? This was an impossibility.

"How sure are you of this? If I walk away now and move away from Montreal, I won't have to subject myself to her blood's addictive call to me, right?"

"That may be true, brother, but how about the possibility that you've found your mate?" Alice hedged. "Wouldn't you like to stay and explore that?"

"Considering how potent her blood is, it would be a purely platonic relationship. I can barely stay in the same room with her as it is."

"Carlisle can help with that, Edward, just as he did for Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett."

Edward knew what she was intimating, and that was not something that he would foist upon this unsuspecting human. "Absolutely not. That would be a fate I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy."

"Then, take a tip from the Denalis and romance this human."

"Are you insane? I am not an Incubus. I'm certainly not going to become one now."

"This girl is your soul mate. Human or vampire, you are meant to be with her."

He spat his final words into the phone. "Please give my regards to Carlisle and Esme. I need to get out of here before I do something that will require you to offer my apologies to them for an entirely different reason. I will ship your gifts home in a couple of days." He ended the call and turned his attention briefly back to the human. Edward was careful to continue holding his breath before he approached her, feeling fortunate that breathing wasn't necessary unless he was speaking or hunting.

She had moved away from the pitcher and was looking at a plate of the same pattern, but her eyes were continually drawn to the pitcher.

He put on his best non-threatening smile and approached the girl, careful not to breathe in, or he would attack her as sure as he was an 109-year-old vampire.

**E/N:**

***French to English Translations:**

**_Il est magnifique_. _He is gorgeous._**

**_M__ais dites-moi plutôt que vous voulez me l'offrir, beau mec._ _Tell me you want to give it to me but good, pretty boy._**

**_Oui, suivez-moi à la réserve et prenez-moi contre le mur. __Yes, follow me to the storeroom and take me up against the wall. _**

**_Excusez-moi, Monsieur. Je suis vraiment désolée. Je suis trop maladroite. Veuillez me pardonner._" _Excuse me, sir. I am so sorry. That was so clumsy of me. Please forgive me._**

**"_Il n'y a rien de cassé_. _It is quite all right._**

Review if Canticleward intrigues you, or floats your boat!


	3. Chapter 2 Yuletide Canticle

**I was remiss in doing this last chapter, but I must show my appreciation for my friend, Brochet, who is a native of Ontario. She helped me with my secondary school French and the logistics in Montreal. I very much appreciate her making me look like I know what I'm talking about.**

**Special thanks to my betas extraordinaire, Shug, SavageWoman and Irritable Grizzzly who whipped this chapter into the best shape possible. Thanks again to Katinki for pre-reading and giving me constructive criticism. **

**RL is too erratic for me to give you a regular posting schedule, so I will refrain from doing that since I don't want to lie to you. However, just as I have with TLC, I will promise to continue writing until the story is done and not abandon you without closure. I do hope to complete this story shortly after the New Year, since most of it is already written. **

_**Chapter 2**_

Bella quickly recovered from her mishap with the stranger. The adversity she'd experienced over the past year made it easier for her to get over being the clumsiest person in all of North America. She was now keenly eyeing the object of her very tiring trip to Les Salons Des Métiers D'Art and agonizing over which piece of authentic Diane Sullivan Arabesque pottery to get for Renee for Christmas. Her mother had coveted something from this collection for as long as Bella could remember, but wouldn't purchase it for herself. Even during the holidays, she wouldn't let Bella or Charlie get one for her because she deemed it too expensive for their meager budget.

In recent years, she'd been particularly adamant because of the mounting medical bills they had accrued, in addition to Bella's education costs above and beyond the scholarships she'd received to college. This time, though, she refused to bend to her mother's wishes. Her exchange semester at McGill University was ending, and she would be returning to Forks in a couple of weeks. This Christmas, she was determined to bring home at least one item to surprise her mom.

"Those pieces are both quite lovely." A silky voice startled her out of her reverie. "They would look very nice in your home."

Bella turned and looked up into the oddly-colored, golden eyes of the handsome stranger she had literally run into a few minutes before. Now that she was afforded the opportunity to view him unhindered, she was able to take in all of his features. He stood more than a foot taller than she. His hair was a reddish-brown, almost bronze in color, and he sported a style that was part bed-head, but too ordered to be completely accidental. His skin was pale, almost too pale, and his jaw line was sharp and masculine, with a barely-dimpled chin. His red lips, when curved into the crooked smile he was now brandishing, were mouthwatering. She was happy to see that he was no longer angry with her.

"Yes, they are lovely, but they aren't for me. They—or well, more likely _it_—would be for my mother for Christmas. I was just trying to decide between the two."

"I'm sure your mother would love whichever piece you decide upon," he said smoothly, "as it would be a gift from the heart from her beautiful daughter."

Bella felt oddly drawn to this gorgeous stranger. Never in her twenty years had she encountered anyone who was as beguiling as he was. And he had called _her_ beautiful.

She smiled. "I think I'll go with the _Wild Rose Ewer_. This pitcher will make a great centerpiece in her dining room and maybe my father will buy additional pieces for her when he can." She set the plate down and picked up the pitcher, hugging it happily to her chest.

The stranger regarded her with a smug satisfaction that she couldn't quite decipher, and she was just about to make her way to the register to pay for her purchase, when she noticed the piece in his hands.

"That sculpture is beautiful. It's a one-of-a-kind piece from Ms. Sullivan's residency in China, isn't it?" Whomever he was purchasing that item for was going to have a very merry Christmas. Those pieces went into the thousands, and she definitely could not afford any of them. She wondered if he could either. He wasn't dressed as if he was outlandishly wealthy, wearing a modest pair of jeans and a navy pea coat, under which she saw a green button-down shirt over what appeared to be a pair of standard long johns.

"Yes, it is," he agreed. "Like you, I am purchasing it for my mother for Christmas."

"That's so sweet," she said smiling. "Your mother is a very lucky woman." She then lowered her voice and whispered conspiratorially, "I don't mean to be too forward or anything, but do you realize how much that piece costs?"

"Actually, I haven't priced this specific piece, but I have a vague idea of the cost, yes."

"Okay, just making sure. Wouldn't want you to suffer from buyer's remorse over this one item," she offered casually.

"_Mademoiselle_...?"

"Swan," she supplied, smiling coyly up at him again. Oddly, in addition to the heaviness in her chest, she actually had butterflies, but she swallowed her nervousness, held out her hand, and supplied her full name. "Isabella Swan."

"Edward Cullen." He hesitated, but then shook it, albeit briefly. His hand was so cold, it was as if he'd just come from outside. "So very nice to meet you, Isabella."

He said her name so reverently. In just the few minutes she'd been conversing with this stranger, she found herself not wanting to leave him; however, she couldn't quite think of anything else to say, so she reluctantly made her apologies. Besides, his expression had begun to morph into something akin to excruciating pain. Coupled with his pale and cold skin, she wondered if he suffered from some chronic condition, just as she did.

"I guess I should go ahead and pay for this," she said reluctantly. "Nice to meet you, too, Edward."

Turning to make her way to the register, she was surprised to find him following her.

"I promise, I'm not a stalker," he said. "I was about to check out, as well."

"No problem," she replied over her shoulder, unable to resist taking another long look at him.

There were a few other people in line at the register, so she took her place at the back and was very aware of Edward as he came to stand behind her. She wanted to turn and look at his handsome face again, but decided that would be creepy, or at the very least, rude. As she was berating herself silently for even believing she had a snowball's chance in hell with a man as beautiful as he was, she heard him say her name quietly.

"Isabella."

In her excitement, she turned so abruptly, she briefly lost her equilibrium, and Edward steadied her.

"Are you all right?" he inquired, a hint of concern wrinkling his brow.

Desperately clutching the ewer, she shook her head to clear it, took a deep laborious breath, and flashed him her most welcoming smile. "I just got a little woozy there for a minute."

He narrowed his eyes briefly, and then seemed to study her.

"You were saying…," she prompted.

"If you are not otherwise engaged after making your purchase, I was wondering if you might like to join me for coffee."

Her heart went into overdrive and she struggled to answer, but when her voice wouldn't cooperate, she just nodded vigorously. Taking another deep breath, she struggled to find her voice again and finally was able to whisper an emphatic reply.

"Yes, that would be great."

She felt the warmth creeping under her skin that indicated she was blushing what was probably a particularly dark shade of crimson. Embarrassed, she turned away from him as she heard the salesclerk call for the next person. She wracked her brain in an effort to find something else witty or clever to say, but her shy nature and uncharacteristic lethargy caused conversation to elude her.

As she waited, the heaviness in her chest seemed to intensify, and she remembered that she had walked the equivalent of several blocks from where she'd left her roommate's car and was already breathing heavier than usual. Her heart was pounding rapidly, and her chest, which had felt burdened since waking up that morning, now felt like a weight was sitting on her lungs.

She attributed some of the heart palpitations to the beautiful man behind her, but then realized it might also be a result of her condition. She hoped fleetingly that she wouldn't embarrass herself by fainting in the exhibition hall, particularly in front of Edward Cullen. What an impression that would make.

When the salesclerk finally motioned to her, Bella handed her the pitcher, and she expertly wrapped gingerly in swaths of tissue paper, slipped the item into a corrugated box, and filled it to the brim with packing peanuts. After placing the box in a shopping bag, she handed it to Bella as she took her credit card.

"That will be three hundred and seventy-five dollars, Mademoiselle," the clerk said, but that was the last thing Bella heard. There was a resounding ringing in her ears as blackness engulfed her.

~888~

Edward found himself in a position he'd never expected to be in: riding in the back of an ambulance to a human hospital. He'd listened helplessly as Isabella Swan's heart had become increasingly bogged down by the fluids surrounding it, until she'd finally given way to unconsciousness. Due to his medical training, he knew that she had suffered congestive heart failure, but didn't know why. He'd just deftly caught the fainting Ms. Swan and hurriedly barked instructions to the clerk to call an ambulance.

Until the paramedics arrived, he'd made sure the girl's airway was clear and she possessed cervical spine control. He'd also ascertained that she was breathing, albeit barely, her circulation was good, and there didn't seem to be any internal or external bleeding. He had to be careful not to crush her delicate bones or break her skin while he examined and tried to revive her. It would not be a pretty sight for the humans in the exhibition hall to witness him draining an unconscious woman of her blood.

Now the EMTs had put an I V drip into her hand, intubated and bagged her, and attached a heart monitor and pulse oximeter. They had also administered Lasix, a diuretic, to inhibit re-absorption of sodium chloride. Although she was stable now, he wondered what had caused the carditis. Holding his breath through all the procedures that involved pricking her skin, he stayed with her from the moment they got there until they rolled her on the gurney into the ER.

He'd told the paramedics he was her boyfriend for the sole purpose of staying with her until he could figure out whether he wanted to have her as a meal, or woo her as a lover, which was his original reason for asking her to coffee. Now, though, he really didn't know how to feel about killing a human who wasn't quite one-hundred-percent healthy. While his kind did not suffer from human ailments and didn't have to worry about any diseases obtained from human blood, he preferred not to know if his prey suffered from a disease. He'd been very germophobic as a human, and vestiges of that aspect of his personality had passed onto him as a vampire. He was still very neat and tidy, and was not one to tolerate filth, squalor, or communicable diseases.

The ER doctor found him in the waiting room and updated him on her progress.

"Are you the gentleman who came in with _Mademoiselle_ Swan?" he inquired.

Edward stood and shook the doctor's proffered hand. It was winter, so there wouldn't likely be any questions about his lower body temperature. "Yes, I'm her fiancé," he said, sweetening the lie even further. Perhaps the doctor would be more forthcoming with information if he had a stronger connection to Ms. Swan.

"Here's what I can tell you right now. Your fiancé has suffered congestive heart failure." We're draining the fluid around her heart and beginning a round of corticosteroids to treat her. She will most likely be here a few days, and then you can take her home."

Edward played the part of the devastated fiancé well. "Thank you, doctor. Please spare no expense in her treatment. When can I see her?"

"The nurses should be done with her in about half an hour, and then she'll be admitted into a room. Please check with the desk to find out her room number." The doctor's thoughts were already on the next case.

"Thank you," Edward said graciously.

While the nurses were completing their treatment of Isabella, Edward decided to run back to the exhibition hall to retrieve his car. He'd already parked and found his way to Isabella's assigned room by the time she was wheeled in. When she was settled, they told him to be sure to press the nurse call button if she needed anything, and then left them alone.

In their haste to finish and move on to the next patient, the nurses had left Isabella's medical chart attached at the foot of her bed. He read through it quickly. She apparently had rheumatic heart disease, and had a case of rheumatic fever once when she was younger. It had been misdiagnosed, and last summer she'd had a recurrence after going several weeks without treatment for strep throat. Her heart muscle had been damaged irreparably. She was on the donor's registry list, but the odds of her getting a match were very slim due to her rare blood type. Hearing Isabella's breathing pattern changing, he quickly replaced the medical chart in its holder.

Opening her eyes, Isabella looked quizzically at him, and gave him a wry smile. Through labored breathing she said, "Bet you never expected a girl would try to pick you up by going into congestive heart failure, did you?"

Despite her condition, she was alert enough to tease him, so he considered that a good sign.

"You did go to extraordinary measures, Isabella. I would have come quite willingly had you just asked." His smile turned into a slight grimace as he got another whiff of her delicious blood. The venom pooled in his mouth, and he swallowed convulsively. Sick or not, this woman's blood had him mesmerized.

"You're sick, too, aren't you?" she asked. "Is your condition terminal… like mine?"

She was very perceptive, even though she had wrongly diagnosed his condition. He wasn't sick, but the effort to avoid killing her was causing him pain unlike any he'd experienced since his change. If she knew his real _condition_, she might have gone into full-out cardiac arrest, but not before he revived her enough to drain her of every ounce of her scrumptious blood. Her death would be an unfortunately profound waste to him.

However, now that Edward knew what she suffered from, he was determined to keep her as healthy as possible before he took her one way or another. Just as he did not want a sedentary bear for a meal, he did not want a sick human. Nor did he want to seduce a sick female. He would wait the several days she needed to remain in the hospital, until she was recovered enough to leave. Then he would insinuate himself into her life, figure out the best course of action to take, and quietly leave Montreal to find another place to exist; one could not refer to his current state-of-being as "living."

"My condition is not terminal, but it is chronic," he said, choosing his words carefully. "It is a very rare condition, but I'd rather not talk about that now. Someone must be worried sick about you—is there anyone I can call?"

"Only my roommate, Lauren Bergeron. I used her car to go to the art festival. She'll need to get it back."

"Shouldn't we call your parents?"

"They're in Washington state in the U.S. and I'd rather not trouble them with this. I'm going home in a couple of weeks, and I want them to see me healthy."

"Okay, then let's begin by calling _Mademoiselle_ Bergeron. Is her number programmed in your cell phone?"

"Yes, it's there. Oh…" She looked around the room. "Where did they put my purse?"

"Your personal belongings are in this bag," Edward said, holding it up. As he got closer to the I V needle in her hand, his throat burned as hot as lava, so after handing it to her he promptly retreated to the foot of the bed. While she was rummaging for her phone, he moved even further away and sat in the lounge chair. If it were possible, she had become even more pale after the incident, and he could almost see the blood flowing through the veins that showed through her diaphanous skin.

Edward closed his eyes while she conversed with her roommate. Although he never needed rest or sleep, he hoped that closing his eyes would stave off the visual. When the human fell asleep, he would leave late in the night to hunt, but for now, he would stay with her. He did not want this luscious "moveable feast" to elude him.

~888~

The next day, the roommate came and went rather quickly. Apparently, it was examination time at McGill University, and she was totally preoccupied and not very concerned about Isabella's well-being. Ms. Bergeron had been more interested in trying to figure out who he was, even though from her thoughts, Edward knew that she was in a committed relationship. He wore "the glare" until she visited briefly with Isabella, retrieved her keys, and left to locate her car.

Between nurse visits to her room, he talked to Isabella Swan. She was at McGill University on exchange for the semester and was studying in their_ Département de langue et littérature françaises_. She was returning to the University of Washington in Seattle in the spring, was a native of Forks, Washington, and the only child of a small-town police chief and a schoolteacher. This was interesting to him, since he and his family had lived there long ago and had come to coexist peacefully with the Quileute Tribe that owned protected lands in the vicinity. The Cullen family still owned property in the area, but had not actually lived there for several decades.

Edward was thankful when Isabella's lunch was delivered. At least the smell of the food masked the allure of her blood somewhat. He sat stiffly on a chair in the corner farthest from her bed, wrestling with the proliferation of venom that had pooled in his throat prior to the lunch delivery. He swallowed and cleared his throat as a human might.

Isabella looked up from her meal. She read his discomfort as having to do with his "condition" and frowned in commiseration.

"Edward, if you need to go—to take care of yourself —please do. If you push yourself too much you might end up in the hospital with me. Then what a pair we'd be." She brought a forkful of salad to her mouth and chewed.

"I assure you, I've been taking every precaution, given the circumstances," he answered carefully.

He'd drank so much animal blood the night before, he'd been fearful of some of it coming back up, but he'd been able to keep it down, and his invigorating run back to the hospital burned off just a fraction of it.

Unfortunately, no volume of animal blood made him completely immune to _eau de Isabella Swan_. Her smell was a cross between strawberries and another fragrance that was oddly comforting to him, despite the siren's call of her blood. It must have been something from his human life, because it was vague, almost like a forgotten memory. Whatever it was caused venom to continuously leak like post-nasal drip, leaving his throat raw and irritated. Nevertheless, his _condition_ was no mere human ailment, and lack of control on his part would not bode well for Ms. Swan.

As she was taking a sip of tea, she seemed to remember something. "Oh, where are my manners? Are you hungry? I'd be happy to share my lunch with you. I'm sure I won't be able to eat it all. Of course it's just hospital food, but you're more than welcome."

"I had a rather large breakfast, so I'm good, but you should eat as much as you can, Isabella. You need to get your strength back," he encouraged. Edward's first thought was that she could fill out and replenish her blood stores for the slaughter, but then he remembered Alice's premonition. He was torn between taking her blood and really getting to know a human girl for the first time ever.

She smiled a Mona Lisa-like smile. "My friends call me Bella, Edward. I think the kindness you've shown me proves you deserve that honor as well."

_Bella. _Beneath the paleness of her skin and her frail frame, he could see the beautiful girl underneath. Her condition had ravaged the wholesome, girl-next-door beauty, but it was clear from his early interactions with her that her true beauty was more than skin-deep.

"That is even more lovely than your given name," he said with a smile.

His compliment made her blush, and fresh venom sprang automatically into his throat. He could feel himself giving into the lust of the hunt. In a panic, he quickly made an excuse and exited the room. The blush had taken him totally off-guard, and he was just barely able to climb out of his fugue in time to flee. He moved as quickly as he could through the halls of the hospital until he breached the exit and found blessed fresh air. While breathing wasn't necessary for him to live, he found it useful to purge his sense of smell from unwanted, undesirable, and, in this case, dangerous scents.

When he'd recovered, he was able to get his thoughts together and remembered how she'd offered him her food. He found it rather endearing. At the same time he found it maddening, yet equally intriguing that he couldn't read her thoughts. Perhaps if he were, he could anticipate when she was about to blush. In this case, he would just have to use his hearing to ascertain when her pulse rate changed.

After about an hour in the cold midday Montreal air, he gathered his courage to return to Isabella's room. On the way back he passed the hospital gift shop and, on a whim, stopped in. If he was going to continue the charade as her fiancé, he needed to play the part convincingly. A bouquet of flowers as a get-well token for Bella might be in order. As he went into the shop, the fragrant aroma of various types of flora and fauna assaulted his senses.

The flowers would also help mask her delicious scent and hopefully reduce his production of venom for a least a little while. The clerk was more than happy to help him with the purchase, both for personal and professional reasons, and he tolerated her horrid thoughts simply because he wanted to do something nice for Bella. It was indeed new that he was buying a gift for a human, and he hoped it wasn't perceived as strange.

The clerk encouraged him to purchase an assembled assortment of flowers. As he followed her through the store picking up various stems and greenery, he got a whiff of a flower that smelled of the other fragrance he attributed to Bella's scent. He stopped in his tracks and approached the tuft of long narrow leaves and a slightly branched stem bearing eight funnel-shaped flowers forming a loose cluster at the top of each stalk. The one-sided spikes of narrow white flowers were familiar to him.

Suddenly, he was taken back about as far as his human memories would go. He was in grade school, and his father had taken him to market to get a birthday gift for his mother. The flowers they had selected for her had been one and the same. His human memories were peppered with scenes in which this flower was prominent in their lives and brought his human mother great joy.

"What is the name of this flower?" he asked the clerk.

She proudly rattled off what little she knew about it. "That's Freesia, sir. It symbolizes innocence."

Edward glanced at her, and she flushed. "I read it in a book once."

Even the flower was apropos for Isabella Swan. From the little he had gleaned of her since their meeting, she was the closest he'd ever come to an adult innocent. He often found varying levels of innocence in the humans he read from time to time, but mostly it was in very young children. By and large, he'd found that human thoughts ranged from mildly sinful, to abject evil.

He emerged from the gift shop bearing a large basket of flowers, with Freesia interspersed throughout the bouquet. When he arrived at the door to Bella's hospital room, it was closed just as he'd left it. He knocked and listened closely. From what he could ascertain, hear heartbeat was steady and she was breathing evenly as if in slumber. He turned the knob and entered the room, then deposited the basket of flowers on the bedside table and made his way to the foot of the bed so he could observe her unhindered and from a relatively safe distance. Watching her sleep was quickly becoming one of his favorite pastimes.

It seemed that Bella was both mobile and vocal in her sleep, and he'd heard names and phrases that he was only able to make sense of as she shared more of her life with him. Her father and mother were constants. She also spoke of Billy, Sue, Angela, and Jacob. Of all the people she mentioned from her hometown, the one that troubled him most was this Jacob. Her voice took on a different timbre and her heartbeat quickened infinitesimally when she spoke of him. Apparently she had been close to this boy. For some reason unknown to him, Edward didn't want to know just how close they had been. Despite his own indecision about his intentions concerning Bella, he was oddly discomfited by the mention of a male friend, even in her dreams.

He stood immobile, watching as she came out of REM sleep, and her breathing changed, signaling him that she was waking up. As her eyes focused on him, her heart began to race, and her face morphed into a wide grin. Edward gave her a wary smile in return.

"You came back!" she exclaimed happily. "I was worried that you had gotten sick."

"Believe me, Bella," he said, "I don't plan to leave you. I'll be here until they discharge you or you tire of me and send me away, whichever comes first."

She picked nervously at the blanket covering the lower half of her body. "I would never send you away. You're the first person I've met in a long time who doesn't pity me or isn't repelled by my illness."

"Then we have that in common, as well. My condition also precludes me from making lasting friends."

She finally spotted the bouquet, and breathed deeply, in spite of the nasal cannula, which was feeding her body supplemental oxygen. "They're beautiful, but you really shouldn't have—"

"Why? Friends do nice things for friends, do they not?" He moved to the side of the bed and gestured to the flowers. He searched his vampire memories for thoughts and conversations he'd heard for something clever to say to a girl he was pretending to woo. "The white ones remind me of you."

"Is it because I'm so deathly pale?" she asked with a smirk.

"We're kindred spirits in that respect," he said soberly. He feared the truth might be construed as laying it on a little thick, so he chose the least romanticized explanation. "Actually, the clerk informed me that Freesia symbolize purity, as is commonly associated with the color white."

Edward realized too late that his words evoked a mixture of embarrassment and sadness that had her coloring again, but he was able to stay in her presence by looking away and breathing in the flowers until her coloring came back to normal.

He quickly apologized, even though his eyes were averted. "Please forgive me if I'm being too forward, or if I have offended—"

"No, it's just surprising that I still give off that vibe. Am I such an open book?"

"Your blush is a dead giveaway," he answered, turning to look at her again. "It's quite involuntary then?"

"Yes, it's a gift from my dad," she said, smiling fondly. "We both blush at the slightest provocation and have the same temperament."

He almost mentioned how she spoke of them in her sleep, but thought better of it. "Are you very close to your parents?"

"I had no choice. I'm an only child, and I've been the center of their world as far back as I can remember."

He remembered that from his life as a human. From what he could glean from his memories, his parents had doted on him and given him the best life loving parents could in the early twentieth century. Elizabeth Masen's dying request had been for his adopted vampire father, Carlisle Cullen, to save his life. Had she really known the doctor wasn't human, or had the fever ravaged her mind to the point of hallucinations?

He chastened himself to stay focused on Bella. The more he knew about her, the easier it would be to cover his tracks later. He decided to coax her into talking about suitors, particularly Jacob.

"Has some young man back in Forks become the center of yours, or do your parents still hold that place in your heart for now?"

"I think my heart is too weak to hold a place for anyone besides my parents." She frowned. "Although I suppose I should be thankful for my condition, if only for one reason."

"What might that be?"

"My damaged heart saved their marriage."

Edward didn't know how to react when she told him the story of how her parents' marriage had been crumbling before she contracted rheumatic heart disease. The previous summer, she had returned home to Forks for her summer break from UW to find them on the verge of divorce. It became quite uncomfortable for him when tears began to stream down her face.

"My mother felt that now that I was away at college and had only one more year before I graduated, they could finally take the opportunity to move away from Forks. My father didn't agree. He loved their life there and didn't want to move. The disagreement caused a rift in their marriage that they almost didn't recover from," she said sadly. "They reconciled after my illness was diagnosed. They didn't want me to come to Montreal, but I had already made plans to study here prior to the episode that damaged my heart irreparably and I wouldn't have it any other way. I refused to sit in Forks and wait for my death. There's no life in that."

Edward was not accustomed to humans and their weakness for showing emotion. He usually didn't get close enough to them to experience it. He moved back to her bedside and, without thinking what her reaction would be, took her hand. She did not recoil.

"I noticed earlier that your hands are cold," she commented. "But as they say, 'cold hands, warm heart. '"

He almost laughed aloud at the irony of her words. His heart had not beaten in ninety-two years, and there was nothing warm about him. If only she knew his true intentions for befriending her, she would not be sharing so freely with him.

She gave him a small smile and then continued her story. "I was so devastated over my parents' problems, I ignored the symptoms when I got strep and just continued going to work at Newton's everyday and made sure things were going well at home for my mother. I thought that if I helped to ease her burden, and I made life more bearable for her in Forks, she would change her mind and stay. A couple of weeks after that, my heart failed for the first time. I guess the stress from exams made me forget to take my medication—that's probably what brought this episode on."

Her eyes were troubled, but when he looked into them, all he saw was a very kind and compassionate girl who didn't deserve her lot in life. Edward was no better than the parents who had worried her to the point of ignoring her own health issues to make sure they were happy. His intention to have her as a meal was wavering. He had to learn to be more like Jasper and accept the collateral damage, but he couldn't resist offering her words of comfort.

"You must take better care of yourself, Bella," he said soothingly. "We need you to stay healthy until your name comes up on that Organ Donor Registry."

"How did you know...?"

He ducked his head sheepishly. "I told the hospital I was your fiancé so they didn't withhold any information from me."

"I suppose it was good I bumped into you, then," she teased. "Who knew that a random act of clumsiness would secure me a fiancé?"

~888~

He smelled her before she poked her head into the door of Bella's hospital room. Alice had come to Montreal.

_I'm alone_, she assured him in her thoughts before he could pose the question.

Ever the socially adept one, Alice carried a bouquet of flowers and a basket of fruit. She had plucked a great deal of information about Bella from her visions while en-route and apparently did not need an introduction.

"Hello, Bella," she said with her best friendly smile. "I'm Alice, Edward's sister, and these are for you."

Bella's surprise was poorly-concealed as her eyes grew large with wonder. "Nice to meet you… Alice," she said. Her voice was still shaky from her previous emotional disclosure. "But you really didn't have to…"

Alice placed the flowers on the nightstand and the basket of fruit on the ambulatory table.

Tutting like a mother hen, she adjusted Bella's pillow and said, "I know I didn't have to, but I couldn't allow my brother's new friend to stay in the hospital without some creature comforts. Besides, I have it on good authority that we're going to be great friends." She crinkled her tiny nose and then smiled smugly at Edward.

~888~

While the nurse was in taking care of Bella, Edward and Alice excused themselves. To the untrained eye, it looked as if he was guiding her gently by her elbow as they walked together down the hall. In truth, he was really hauling his sister outside. He needed to speak to her uninterrupted about her diabolical plans that she was trying to shield from him. If he knew Alice Cullen as well as he thought he did, she never did anything without a plan. Once they were sure that they couldn't be seen by human eyes, they took off at vampire speed and found a secluded spot near a seldom-traveled road.

"Why are you here, Alice?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"I'm here to keep you from making the biggest mistake of your life," she said. "The girl in that bed is your soul mate, Edward."

"She's a human, and a very delicious one at that. Am I to forego the best meal of my existence for one of your subjective visions?"

"It's getting clearer and firming up every day. She is going to die Edward, but not from you feeding from her. She has a condition that is very likely terminal, unless you intervene."

"By 'intervene,' you mean 'turn her'?"

"Yes. She is destined to be one of us."

"I have never changed anyone and never plan to. You know this. Neither you nor I had a choice when we were changed. Bella does. She could get a transplant, which would prolong her life, but I don't think I could stay away from her long enough to allow her to live that life. Her blood is too potent. If I don't claim her, another of our kind will eventually run across her scent and do it themselves. Why not me, now?"

"Her blood really does smell good." Alice snorted. "But, believe me when I say she's not meant to be a meal for you—she is meant to be your mate."

Edward scowled. Could his sister's scatterbrained prophesy be true? Had the fates finally sent him a woman who could hold his interest for the rest of eternity? Could this be the reason they literally bumped into one another while Christmas shopping? Edward had to admit, he was growing rather tired of living his existence alone. Every member of his family had a significant other. For one-hundred-and-nine years, he'd only had his family and himself.

How many times had he longed for someone when Alice and Jasper were heavy on the public displays of affection, Rose and Emmett were tearing up furniture, or even Carlisle and Esme were being romantic? He didn't like to think of his father and mother in that way, but little was left to the imagination when you could read minds and everyone in your household was coupled off except you.

Did he dare believe this Isabella Swan was fated to be his mate? The desire to have someone to love was second only to the insane call her blood had for him. Could he really stave off killing her long enough to see if they could love one another? Even thinking of her blood had his mouth pooling with venom again, despite the very satisfying hunt he'd had the night before. Did he dare try?

The words were out of his mouth before he realized he'd relented. "Bella leaves for Forks in two weeks. If there is a spark between us, surely it will have ignited by then. But if not, she will never leave Montreal."

Alice nodded gravely, understanding exactly what he meant.

~888~

**E/N: **

**Please show your approval or disapproval by leaving a review. Thanks for reading!**

http : / 209 dot 172 dot 36 dot 254/smaq/index dot php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1&lang=en (Les Salons Des Metiers D' Art) Dec 4-22, 2009.

_Département de langue et littérature françaises =_ Department of French Language and Literature

http : / www dot dianesullivan Dot ca / (only at Les Salons from Dec 4-13). Bella's pitcher for Renee costs $375 Canadian dollars, which is $357 USD.

Université McGill

Département de langue et littérature françaises

853, rue Sherbrooke ouest

Bureau 265

Montréal, Québec Canada H3A 2T6 Télécopieur : 514-398-8557


	4. Chapter 3 Yuletide Canticle

_**A/N: **__**Readers, please thank my betas for getting you this chapter in the perfect form. So, let's have a round of applause for Shug ( SSHG316), SavageWoman and IrritableGrizzzly because they worked their special magic to make this chapter shine. I consider my betas as my trio of muses, because they push me to be better and challenge me when I think something is "good enough" to make it **__**great**__**. **_

_**I would also like to thank my pre-readers: first and foremost, my dear Quebec resident and friend, October25, who helped with Montreal authenticity, and finally u2Shay, babiesbrown, Swimom7 and my Fictionista group (you know who you are)**__. _

**YULETIDE CANTICLE**

_**Chapter 3 – The Dates, Part 1**_

Alice didn't bother to mask her thoughts, so Edward saw all the matchmaking plans she had constructed in her head for them. Dubbed the "Bella Itinerary," her plan unfolded over a fortnight and included every manner of date Alice could conjure up given the brief period of courtship in which he had to win Isabella's heart. His sister also booked a deluxe suite at the Chateau Versailles, where she coaxed him into joining her rather than returning to his home in Laval. Although it was only about thirty minutes by car, and an even shorter commute for vampires, Alice thought it best to have a base of operations that afforded easier access to Bella.

Having solidified his intentions with Alice regarding Bella, Edward found himself anxious to begin his courtship of the delectable object of his benign affections. Feelings in him that had lain dormant for decades were awakening all of a sudden. However, those feelings were tempered by his fear that he wouldn't be able to control his lust for her blood. As he returned to Bella's room following his conversation with Alice, he was uncharacteristically nervous.

Despite his agreement to woo rather than devour, his reaction to Bella's scent was still considerably overwhelming. As he entered the room, it was all he could do to quell his desire to puncture her delicate throat with his razor-sharp teeth and drain her of every ounce of her delicious blood. He swallowed the venom automatically and held his breath as he approached her.

Bella smiled up at him from the book she was reading. The nurse must have come in and removed the cannula, as she was now breathing without assistance.

"Guess what?" she asked, her brown eyes shining with renewed vigor.

"What?" Edward couldn't resist grinning back at her like a besotted suitor. He couldn't find the will to make himself behave with a bit more decorum. There was something about this Isabella Swan that was extremely arresting, above and beyond the tempting call of her blood.

"They might spring me tomorrow if my fluid levels are acceptable." She laid the book facedown on her lap, careful to leave it open on the page she was reading.

"That's great news." Edward inched his way to her bedside, only taking in shallow breaths to assist him in speaking. The burn of the venom in his throat warred against an equally excruciating desire to be near her.

"It certainly is. I won't have to reschedule any of my exams after all."

"How many exams do you have left to take?"

"Three. Two this week and one next week."

Edward felt like the boy he was back in 1918, preparing to ask a young lady to a dance. He cleared his throat unnecessarily. "Bella?"

She met his gaze and then lowered her head shyly before looking up again and holding his gaze. "Y-yes?"

"May I see you again after you are discharged?"

Her reaction to his question was simultaneous and three-fold. She took in a breath that caught and was not expelled; her face lit up like a neon sign; and her heart rate sped up like a freight train. She looked as if she wanted to respond, but physically could not.

Alarmed, Edward stepped closer to the side of the bed until he couldn't get any nearer. "Bella?"

She clasped his cold hand with her warm one and she was finally able to utter audible words. "Yes—Yes, I'd like that very much," she gushed excitedly.

Edward released a breath as if he needed to exhale. He was certain that if he had a beating heart, it would have beaten as erratically as hers was at that moment.

He shared a tentative smile with her and let her hand go long enough to pull a chair close to the bed to begin his vigil by her bedside again. Alice was out doing what she loved second only to Jasper—shopping—so they would be free from her interference for a while.

"I realize that you'll be leaving for Forks in a couple of weeks, but I don't want to squander the opportunity to get to know you better."

Bella's expression was equal parts pained and ecstatic. "Why couldn't I have run into you earlier in the semester?"

Edward shuddered to think what might have occurred as a result of a truly spontaneous meeting. Had it happened in a less populated place where Alice had no time to intervene... "Rarely are questions of fate answered to our satisfaction."

"True. I should just be thankful that it happened now. Otherwise, I may never have met my knight in shining armor."

It was all Edward could do to keep from laughing maniacally. If Bella only knew how ironic her characterization of him was. His armor might be shining, sparkling if you will, but he was no knight.

~888~

Bella was released from the hospital on Tuesday following her weekend stay. Edward, assuming the role of the dutiful faux fiancé, made arrangements to transport her from the hospital to her dormitory. After a few discreet inquiries, he found out that because Bella was not a Canadian citizen, any expenses that her medical insurance did not cover would be billed to her parents. For some inexplicable reason, he felt compelled to take care of her hospital bill despite the prideful denial he knew he would receive from her, so he took care of the hospital bill quietly and anonymously, thus saving himself from having to convince Bella. It would also cover his tracks sufficiently should things not end well. He instructed Alice to contact Bartholomew Jenks, their family lawyer of sorts, whom Jasper had enlisted years ago to take care of their financial and legal affairs. Mr. Jenks would handle everything so the transaction would be practically untraceable.

By the time Edward escorted Bella out of the hospital to Alice in his waiting car, she had been assured by the nurse handling her discharge that the hospital bill had been taken care of by an anonymous benefactor who had established a benevolent fund for foreign students in situations such as hers. She was suspicious, and rightfully so, but Edward remained aloof and busied himself gathering her things and putting them in the trunk of the car as Bella quizzed the nurse.

"So there won't be a bill sent to my parents in the States?"

"No, Ms. Swan." Nurse Rivard handed her an envelope. "This is your paperwork—the discharge recuperation instructions and your final bill. You'll find that everything inside is in order and marked paid in full."

Bella's brow knit together, and she pursed her lips like she was going to ask another question, but then seemed to think better of it. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Nurse Rivard said, smiling.

Edward took Bella's arm and helped her into the backseat of the car, buckling her safely in before he headed to the other side to join her in the backseat.

Nurse Rivard reversed the wheelchair, waved and headed back into the hospital.

Bella greeted Alice as he slipped into the car.

Alice turned with an impish grin and spoke to Bella before turning the ignition and pulling the car out onto Cedar Avenue. "Good morning, Bella. Fair warning, I may drive a little fast, but I'm an excellent driver."

Edward glared at his sister. "Let's go with careful over excellent, Alice. Bella is recuperating. Do you want to send her back to the hospital?"

"My excellent is always careful," Alice shot back.

Edward looked serious, but Bella grinned at what she probably perceived as lighthearted bickering between siblings. "As long as she doesn't drive like a Hollywood stunt driver, I'm good."

"Comfortable?" Edward inquired, as he buckled himself in. He had to remember to make the effort to show human-like concern. When one spent most of their time around virtually indestructible vampires, things like comfort and safety became a non-issue.

Bella smiled. "Yes, very."

"Are you sure you'll be up to having breakfast with me in the morning? Maybe you should conserve your energy for your exam." Edward was surprised by his genuine concern for her well-being, despite how her scent in such close quarters had him salivating venom non-stop.

"I got plenty of rest at the hospital. Besides, if you believe the studies, I'll do better on my exam after a good breakfast, anyway." She smirked, and Edward couldn't resist smiling back due to how at ease she was with him.

It had snowed overnight, and there was a picturesque blanketing of several inches everywhere except on the busy streets. The snow plows had been out early and done their job, so traveling the short distance from Montreal General to McGill campus proper was quiet and uneventful.

Too soon, they were at her dormitory where they would be parting ways. Edward felt a tug that he couldn't quite define. Was it anxiety over having to leave her? Of course, he told himself it was because he was agonizing over the possibility that others of his kind might possibly encounter her. There were only two options, and after being in her presence for three days, he wasn't entirely sure which one was winning out anymore. He was way too invested now to leave her alone.

He could have carried Bella and all her belongings into the dorm, but Alice offered her assistance for show, as they made sure Bella got to her room. Her breathing was labored from just the minor exertion of getting from the car to her room. As she fished into her purse for her key, Alice told him what he already knew from listening to her heart and breathing.

_If she's too weak to walk from the car to her room, she'll never make it across campus and back tomorrow. Maybe your first date should include transportation to and from her exams._

Edward nodded infinitesimally just as he heard footfalls approaching from the other side of the door. It swung open before Bella could insert her key.

"Bella, I'm glad you're here...oh. Hi," the roommate said, as she registered Edward and Alice. She quickly hugged Bella and then stood aside to allow them to enter the room.

"Alice, this is my roommate, Juliette. Juliette, this is Edward's sister, Alice. Of course, you've already met Edward."

As Juliette and Alice exchanged pleasantries, Edward followed her scent and coaxed Bella toward her bed.

Bella looked up at him in surprise. "How did you know this one was mine?"

It was his turn to smirk. "The decor and the books on this side of the room are uniquely yours."

"Very perceptive," Bella said, as she slipped her shoes off and scooted toward the headboard. Edward fluffed a pillow and placed it behind her back, and she settled against it.

"You should get some rest," he suggested. "You'll want to be in tip-top shape for your exam tomorrow."

"But I'm not tired," she protested, even as she stifled an involuntary yawn.

Edward raised an eyebrow.

"You're probably right, but I'll need to get up later to study a little bit."

Juliette picked up her purse and her backpack and made what she thought was a disappointed face. "Bella, I hate to bail on you the moment you return, but Jean-Paul is expecting me. I probably won't be back until tomorrow around noon to pack up my stuff." She toed the rug at the foot of Bella's bed sheepishly. "We're moving in together, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, I remember," Bella said, trying not to look crestfallen. "Let's get together before I leave in a couple of weeks, okay?"

"_Absolutement!_ I wouldn't let you leave Montreal without us having a proper goodbye." She swooped in and gave Bella a hug. "Are you sure this is okay?"

"Pssh, yeah. I'm just going to sleep and study."

"That settles it then," Edward inserted. "Alice and I will be back to take you to dinner."

Alice's eyes widened. _Making me suffer through the human food too, oh brother of_ _mine?_

"Great! Now I don't feel so bad." Juliette hoisted her backpack on her shoulder. "See you tomorrow, Bella. Nice meeting you again Alice...Edward." _How on earth did plain, sickly Bella score such a hottie?_

Angered by her disingenuous thoughts, Edward narrowed his eyes at Juliette. She was so unnerved by him, she tripped on the rug as she turned to leave, closing the door loudly behind her.

~888~

Edward and Alice returned to pick Bella up for dinner promptly at six, again with Alice waiting in the car while Edward escorted her downstairs. They dined early at the Bar et Boeuf Bistro Gourmand, since he didn't want her to tax herself too much until she'd gotten a modicum of strength back for someone in her condition.

Bar et Boeuf, located in Old Montreal at the heart of the financial district, in a historic landmark, exuded the contrast of being warm and refined, while chic and relaxing. The high ceilings boasted contemporary chandeliers, recessed lighting, and candlelight on the mahogany tables to create the perfect ambiance against a backdrop of deep mahogany architectural beams on the interior walls. Beige leather chairs surrounded the tables, some of which were shrouded with crisp white linen tablecloths, which lent a comfortable elegance and blended perfectly with the wall coverings.

Bella was thankful after the waiter assured her they could prepare her meal taking her dietetic requirements in consideration. Unbeknownst to her, Edward had called and spoken with the Chef before their arrival to make sure they could accommodate her needs. She was enthralled with the service and meticulous care taken with them. While she had read about Sommeliers and the particular services they offered, her current medication would not allow her to imbibe, but she encouraged Edward and Alice to enjoy the wine recommended for their meal.

Edward was extremely uncomfortable ingesting the few morsels of human food he'd been able to swallow, along with the venom raining down his throat. It would make for quite a disgusting expulsion later. Alice seemed to be fine moving her food around and taking tiny bites occasionally.

He cleared his throat to mask his speech and asked Alice softly in vampire speed, "How are you eating this human mess of pottage?"

_That's what the extra napkin is for, brother dear. _

Edward signaled for the waiter.

Alice smiled, faked taking a drink and turned to Bella. "This is delicious," Alice said. "How is your striped bass?"

"It's wonderful," she said, her eyes doing a half-roll to emphasize the near-orgasmic flavor of her food. "I'm afraid I won't be able to eat it all after having been on such a bland diet for days."

"Leave it. I won't be able to eat all of my steak, either. I'm limiting red meats," Alice said with an impish grin. Edward rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, but Bella looked over and he quickly straightened his face into impassivity.

"What's wrong with your meal, Edward?" Bella asked. "Is the veal not any good?"

"It's great, really, but extremely rich. My biggest meal of the day is lunch." Damn it, he forgot he was going to lunch with her at least three times, according to Alice's dastardly itinerary. Now he'd have to figure out a way to either consume or conceal an obscene amount of human food. This wooing of a human girl was proving to be more troublesome than he'd bargained for. Yet, now that he was on this path, his stubbornness wouldn't allow him to abandon it. Besides, his inability to read her mind made Isabella Swan all the more intriguing. He was rather enjoying the slow and tortuous manner of finding out about her.

He must have regarded her for bit too long, lost as he was in his own thoughts, as she blushed and smiled at him.

Alice witnessed their exchange and smiled too. _I've never seen you like this, Edward. I must tell Esme. She will be ecstatic._

He spoke so quickly and quietly it sounded to Bella as if he was humming, but Alice understood him perfectly. "How would you have me behave, Alice? Brusque and rude? Surely that wouldn't go over well with such a sensitive human girl? I think it a tad bit early to be telling Esme anything."

The waiter approached the table and Edward asked for an extra napkin, then inquired of Bella, "Would you like anything else? Dessert? Tea?"

"Some tea would be great. Earl Grey, _Mariage Frères_ if you have it." The waiter bowed and scurried off to retrieve her request.

Alice distracted Bella with questions while Edward took the extra napkin and disposed of some of his food. He was carrying a small forkful to his mouth, when the conversation shifted back to him.

"I can totally see Edward taking on the role of the oldest sibling, even though he's not," Bella said with a smile.

Edward was bemused. "Is that an underhanded way of calling me prematurely curmudgeonly, Isabella?"

"If the shoe fits, Edward," she teased back.

Alice giggled and Edward scowled at her, but she waved him off. "I think you've met your match, brother."

Bella hastened to reassure him, "But I find your seriousness endearing." She then turned to his sister. "Is he always so gentlemanly and protective with girls, Alice?"

"I'm sitting right here and perfectly capable of answering questions about myself."

Bella's eyes danced mischievously. "I know, but it's so much more fun getting unfiltered answers."

Alice laughed outright this time. "He is serious and gentlemanly all the time. But the protectiveness is new."

Edward knew if he were capable of blushing, he would be at that moment. "Alice..." he hissed in warning.

Bella flushed crimson and dug into her bass again. Edward could feel her regarding him. He hoped she wasn't too put off by his admonishing Alice so forcefully.

He had to get the conversation flowing again. "Are you sure you don't want any dessert? I understand they have a delicious caramel parfait."

_Smooth save_. Smirking, Alice took her napkin out of her lap and tossed it onto her plate. "If you two will excuse me, I think I'll go call my husband."

Edward stood as Alice left the table, and as he was sitting back down, Bella leaned toward him. "Why are you trying to stuff me?" she teased. "You haven't eaten very much of your own dinner. Maybe _you_ should try the caramel parfait."

He had a quick rejoinder. "I'll be running in the morning, so I'm trying not to pack in a heavy dinner."

"You're lucky you can run. I've forgotten what it's like to run," she mused. Growing serious, she whispered, "What exactly is your condition, Edward? I've practically shared my entire medical history with you, and you haven't felt the need to reciprocate."

Her question disarmed him, and that very rarely happened. Then again, he could read the minds of other humans and vampires alike, so they never got this type of advantage.

"I have a—a rare blood disorder. It makes my circulation poor, and my body temperature plummets." he said, finally. "When I'm weak, an occasional blood transfusion has me good as new in no time." Well, that wasn't altogether untrue.

"Does it bother you that I'm sick?"

"Now that would be blatant hypocrisy on my part, wouldn't it?"

"I suppose you're right." A crease appeared between her eyebrows as he noticed happened anytime she was deep in thought. "You know my prognosis. It isn't good. Why would you care to pursue a friendship with the likes of me?"

"Because you are the most interesting person I've met in a long time," he said seriously. "In fact, I do believe you've bewitched me, Ms. Swan."

Bella took a sip of her tea in an effort to hide her smile. "How, pray tell, have I bewitched you, Mr. Cullen?"

"You tell me. As Alice has just borne witness, I have been acting completely out-of-character lately, and the only new variable in my life is you."

"Since we're being honest here, I have to say you've positively dazzled me."

His mouth turned up slightly on one side. "Then I daresay, we might both be well and truly lost."

~888~

Alice raised an eyebrow when Edward emerged from his room tucking in his shirt and preparing to leave the suite around eleven p.m.

"What?" he asked, as if what he was about to do was patently obvious.

Alice pouted. "You're not going to stay and talk to _me_ tonight for old-time's sake?"

"We'll have plenty of time to catch up while Bella's taking exams or resting during the day."

"As I suspected, you're really taking to her. She's a great person and good for you. I like her a lot."

Edward rolled his eyes and quickly buckled his belt. "That is yet to be determined. Her scent still tortures me, and it's all I can do to be near her, but I think the cure for that is to be around her more. Instant immersion and all that malarkey."

Alice grinned and masked her thoughts, but he caught the words "he protests too much," before she began to think about the contrast between Gianni and his sister Donatella Versace's design styles. He pursed his lips as he glowered at her, but Alice ignored him. "How are you going to finesse getting into her dorm room undetected?"

"Same way you would, my dear sister—with stealth and agility." He pulled a black sweater on over his head and shook it to tame his hair as much as it would cooperate.

Alice picked up a magazine and flopped belly-down on the sofa. "That's a lot of stealth we're talking." She propped her chin on the backs of her hands with her knees bent and legs crossed at her ankles. "Dorms can be like grand central station after hours."

"How soon you forget," he smirked. "I run faster than all of you combined and, more importantly, faster than young human eyes can see."

Edward listened outside the dorm as Bella prepared for bed and only had to wait about fifteen minutes for the moment her heartbeat and breathing evened out and she was asleep. Thinking ahead earlier in the day, he had unfastened the lock on her window so he could enter later undetected. His dark clothing blended with the night and the position of her window away from the front of the building would make it difficult for any human eyes to see him. Scaling the wall effortlessly, he was up to the second floor and into her room in seconds.

He closed the window snugly behind him so she wouldn't catch a chill from the night air. Her freesia scent caused venom to pool in his mouth immediately, and he began the dutiful exercise of swallowing it down and holding his breath. The image of her in gentle repose in her bed was oddly calming to him. She was tucked onto her side and appeared to be in REM sleep, so he roamed her space careful only to look at things that were in clear view. That he was invading her privacy majorly was a given, but it made him feel better that he wasn't rummaging through her things. His reasoning was that he was only watching over what was his, and he would have been devastated if, after finding her, he lost her to another like himself. He convinced himself that his presence in her room was only to monitor her health and to keep her safe from other predatory creatures that roamed during the night.

There were books and papers strewn everywhere, even on the roommate's side of the room. Her marathon study session had been quite thorough. All the books and notes were in French, and he was impressed by her mastery of the language. They had not conversed much in French since their meeting in the exhibition hall. He would have to remedy that. Perhaps her nervousness when they met had made her French seem amateurish, but these writings were not those of an amateur. Her conjugation of French verbs was flawless and her vocabulary extensive. Isabella Swan was an academic, and this pleased him immensely. At least she wasn't a vapid, self-absorbed sycophant who would bore him after one meeting. This promised him a formidable challenge of uncovering all of her layers.

As Bella dreamed, she tossed, turned, and carried on quite a lively, yet indecipherable conversation. He deduced that her dream that night centered on the subject matter of her exam, because she murmured both French and English words that would confound the average layman. It was just before she began to stir as if she were waking up that he heard her whisper his name.

"Edward?"

He was so enraptured, he almost missed his cue to leave as her eyes began to flutter open. It was as if she had sensed his presence as she was waking. He couldn't stop smiling as he ran full-speed back to the Chateau Versailles where Alice was undoubtedly waiting for him. He would need to retrieve his car, so he could be back to pick Bella up for breakfast and drop her off to take her to her exam. Never in his century of existence had he anticipated the company of a female so much, human or vampire.

~888~

Bella found herself taking extra care with her appearance even though she was just going to take an exam. She was, after all, having breakfast with the most gorgeous man she had ever known. It was still mind-boggling to her as to why he had chosen to befriend her of all the healthy, beautiful women in Montreal. Regardless, she was ecstatically happy that he had.

She had been so lonely despite being on a bustling campus full of people all the time in the most romantic city she'd ever had the privilege in which to live. Word traveled among her classmates of her condition, and it made people, especially males, leery of getting too close to her. This had always been her misfortune, because she refused to keep people in the dark about her illness. She had been driving men away with it since her latter years of high school.

Jacob Black had been her friend for as long as she could remember. They'd never had a romantic relationship, but right around the time they had both been entering a stage of maturity where they might have, he had inexplicably pulled away from her. When she'd told Mike Newton of her illness last summer, his attentiveness and relentless pursuit of her had quickly become a thing of the past. In her first month at McGill, she had been pursued by one of her classmates, Christophe Jardins, but he cooled when she broke the news to him, as well. She couldn't blame Jacob, Mike, or Christophe for their reactions. Why invest in a relationship with someone who could very well not live to see another birthday?

Perhaps her time for romance had now come. The brevity of her life expectancy was for once not driving a guy away. This had her grinning like a fiend as she gathered up her books and papers from her study session. Edward would be arriving any minute, and she wanted to be ready. Her cell phone rang.

"Good morning." His beautiful voice, only slightly distorted by the phone, caressed her ear.

"Morning," she said anxiously. "I'll be right down."

"I'm already on your floor," he said. "Be there in a second."

She had the door open and was watching him approach her in all his extraordinary beauty. There was no way she could ever tire of looking at him. He was almost painful to behold in his perfection. He was bundled appropriately for the Montreal winter, wearing a thick wool pea coat, a scarf, and leather gloves.

"I just need to get my coat," she said as she stood aside to let him in. Not bothering to close the door, she went to the closet and grabbed her coat, scarf, and gloves.

"Allow me." Ever the gentleman, Edward was eager to give her a hand. She shrugged on her coat as he held it, and she got a good whiff of him. He smelled like brisk cool air, pine, and gorgeous male. It was quite the heady combination. Then she decided to speak and break what might become an awkward moment if she didn't stop staring at him.

"How was your run this morning?"

"Exhilarating," he said with a crooked smile.

"Don't rub it in, Cullen." She grinned and teasingly bumped him with her hip. Her eyes widened briefly when she felt how solid and unyielding he was through his clothing. "Wow, you must really work out."

Edward looked nervous all of a sudden, and she wondered if she was being familiar with him too soon, but then he smiled and put her at ease again. "Exercise improves my circulation."

She smiled in understanding as he offered her his arm for support, much as he had done the day before. Bella wound her arm through his gratefully as they headed down to his car.

"You know, I'm not too weak to buckle my own seatbelt," she notified him as he settled her into the car.

"My apologies, Bella." He went around, got in, and started the engine almost in one fluid motion. He regarded her kindly before he pulled away. "I fear you haven't been well taken care of. Please allow me these small indulgences."

Somehow she found herself unable to refuse him, especially if that were the extent of the simple pleasures he enjoyed. "Where are we going?"

"Why don't you choose? There are three places Alice has on the list for breakfast: Chez Cora, Eggspectations, and Déjeuner Eggcetera."

"Oh, let's go to Chez Cora. There's a Cora's Diner in my hometown. Let's see how they compare."

"Chez Cora it is," he said as they wended their way toward Sherbrooke East.

Bella was surprised when Edward only ordered coffee for himself.

"You're not going to eat?"

"I had a protein shake after I ran, so I'm really full right now. I just want to enjoy your company before you have to take your exam."

She smiled her approval and addressed him in a conspiratorial whisper, "This spread puts Cora's Diner to shame. I've heard about this place, but the campus food has been more than adequate so I didn't get off campus much to eat."

"I'm happy to introduce you to the food and entertainment establishments of Montreal in your final two weeks here, then."

"How can you do that? Aren't you a student?"

Edward smiled. "I have been a student. I completed medical school some time ago, but I don't practice. I'm on sabbatical, but I shall be deciding very shortly my plans for the spring."

"You're a bit young for that, aren't you?" She narrowed her eyes playfully. "I get it, you're a genius, a wunderkind. I should have known."

"Perhaps. However, the truth is I merely followed in my father's footsteps. He supplemented my education for years, so the coursework came rather easily for me."

Her food was delivered, and she dug in. Surprisingly, she was hungry enough to put a nice dent into her overflowing plate. Edward peppered her with questions about her likes and dislikes in books and music. He found it intriguing that she liked a very eclectic mix of music and literature quite similar to his own tastes, while she found it amusing that he didn't watch network television or go to movies.

"I would hazard to guess that network television is one of the reasons why young people today don't receive as thorough an education," he said with conviction.

"A lot of things in the 21st century could deter a person from receiving a thorough education, but there's also modern technology that contributes to a good education. Take the internet for example. It has the most extensive library there is. Most children today just lack discipline."

"I've found that to be true in my observation of hu-homo sapien children."

She laughed. "As opposed to what—primate children?"

Edward seemed briefly disconcerted, but he chuckled. "Who knows what I meant. I must confess, I'm having a rather difficult time concentrating, Ms. Swan."

She blushed, finding it adorable that he might be as nervous around her as she was around him. "Why on earth is that, Mr. Cullen?"

"I'll consider that a rhetorical question, as I am not quite ready to answer at this time."

"Okay, plead the fifth, or whatever it is you plead in Canada."

"That would be section eleven of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms."

"That might have been a rhetorical statement on my part, Mr. Cullen."

He grinned sheepishly. "Well, now you know a wee bit of Canadian law, Ms. Swan."

"Just enough to get me in trouble; my father would love that."

"Since you're now my friend, I would do everything within my power to spring you before your father was contacted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police."

"Thank you, Edward. I'm happy to know that you are ready with the bail money. Otherwise, I could be like Claire Danes in _Brokedown Palace_, except in a more humane Canadian prison."

"Who is Claire Danes, and why does she live in a broken down palace?"

He looked so serious, she didn't have the heart to try to explain. "Never mind," she smirked, trying desperately not to laugh aloud at him.

She made it to her exam with fifteen minutes to spare. While they waited, they sat and talked. When it was time to go in, Edward wouldn't let her get up until he opened the door for her, and she rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"When is your exam over?" he asked.

"We have two hours, but I'll probably finish in about an hour and a half."

His golden eyes were anxious. "I'll be waiting here for you at ten-thirty."

"That's really not necessary, Edward. My dorm isn't far from here at all."

"Bella, you just got out of the hospital yesterday. You shouldn't be exerting yourself so soon. Promise me you'll call me on my cell when you're done, and wait in the foyer of this building until you see my car out here."

He was so insistent, she relented. Would she ever be able to refuse him anything? "O—kay. Pushy much?"

"Not pushy, just persistent." He brushed her cheek very lightly with lips that she figured were cool from them standing outside. However, she could have sworn she felt that cold chaste kiss burn her cheek for thirty minutes or more into her exam.

~888~

E/N:

Website for McGill University: http : / www dot mcgill dot ca /

Website for L'Hotel Chateau Versailles: http : / www dot chateauversaillesmontreal dot com

Website for Bar et Bouef Restaurant - http : / www dot baretbouef dot com / home

Website for Chez Cora – http: / www dot chezcora dot com

Bella's French Tea - Mariage Frères Earl Grey Impérial - http: / www dot mariagefreres dot com


	5. Chapter 4 Yuletide Canticle

_**A/N: Readers, please thank my beta, Shug (SSHG316), whom I stole from her children on Summer Break to beta this chapter for you. She is awesomeness personified. Also, many thanks to Songster51 who gave this a final look-see and found a few more boo-boos on my part. I love her to death. **_

**YULETIDE CANTICLE **

_**Chapter 4- The Dates, Part 2**_

Edward had been so attentive the last couple of days, escorting Bella to places she might never have gotten to visit in Montreal had she not met him. In a few days, they'd shared at least two meals a day and visited both a museum and the theater. There had to be something she could invite him to do with her to return the favor, so to speak.

She had lunch with Juliette on Thursday and the perfect opportunity presented itself.

"Jean-Paul and I are going to hear the Westmount Youth Orchestra's instrumental ensemble, Dolce Musica, in Redpath Hall on Sunday. You should come with," Juliette said as she took a casual sip of her soda.

Bella might have declined before, because she didn't want to be a third wheel, but now she had someone she could invite. "That sounds great. Do you mind if I bring Edward? He loves music, and he's an excellent pianist. I haven't had the pleasure of hearing him play, yet, but yeah...that would be awesome."

She was hesitant. "Er...Oui, oui."

Noticing the change in Juliette's demeanor when she mentioned Edward, Bella's brow furrowed. "You didn't want me to invite him?"

"Non, Cherie," Juliette hastened to reply. "I just worry about you... with him. Are you sure about him? He seems kind of... dangerous."

Bella laughed. "Edward, dangerous? What on earth gives you that idea?"

"I don't know. He just strikes me as someone who is. I don't know what I did to tick him off, but every time I'm around him, I get that vibe. Just be careful, okay?"

"All right, but I can assure you, Edward has only been sweet and gentlemanly toward me—practically protective, even. I'm glad we'll get to hang out with you two this weekend so you can see for yourself what a great guy he is."

"Okay, if you insist. I just don't want the authorities questioning me about your whereabouts and the mysterious stranger you met just days before you were to return home. I've seen _Taken_, you know."

"I assure you, Edward isn't some guy trying to lure me into becoming anyone's sex slave. He's almost Victorian, he's been so well-behaved. He hasn't even tried to kiss me yet. On the other hand, I can totally see my dad as the Liam Neeson character if I came up missing." Bella took a bite of her turkey sandwich and a drink of cranberry juice.

"We'll see you two on Sunday, then." Juliette smiled ruefully. "I'll try not to look at him weird or anything."

"Good, because that would freak me out, not to mention, Edward."

"I have a feeling that not much would freak Edward out," Juliette said ominously.

Bemused, Bella just shook her head and took another bite of her sandwich.

~888~

On Thursday night, Edward took her to dinner at Gibby's. Bella felt like she'd stepped back in time as they entered the restaurant. Housed in a magnificent 200-year-old building in old Montreal, it possessed an old world charm that boasted historic stone walls, original ceiling beams, cozy fireplaces, and romantic lighting, which made for an unforgettable dining experience. Bella noted that Edward wasn't as taken as she was with the food, and again he ate very little. However, he was so attentive and conversational otherwise, she soon forgot about his strange eating habits.

After dinner, they took a horse-drawn buggy ride through the cobblestone streets. At first, the horse was skittish, but when the driver put blinders on it, the horse soon calmed. Edward went overboard on preparation and brought a battery operated blanket to keep her warm.

"Wow, you're like a boy scout, Mr. Cullen," she teased.

His brow furrowed and smoothed out again. "How is that?"

"You're always prepared." She snuggled under the blanket, scooting closer under the casual arm he rested around her shoulders. Feeling him tense, she wondered if she had been just a little too forward for his liking. However, he flashed her an indulgent smile, his sweet breath wafting over her as he spoke.

"I guess I am, insofar as your health and well-being is concerned. It has become very important to me."

_Could he be any more perfect?_

She frowned. "I wish you didn't have to take care of me. You have medical issues of your own to worry about."

"My issues are not debilitating. Besides, I like taking care of you." His lips grazed her temple, so feather light she might have missed it had she not been paying attention. Despite the temperature outside, she grew warm from his affectionate gesture.

"I'd love the opportunity to practice a little reciprocity. You deserve the same."

His eyes lit as if in surprise, but then softened. "I have seen examples that support the notion that good relationships are based on respect and reciprocity."

After she recovered from his intimation that they might be pursuing a relationship, she asked, "With your parents?"

"Yes, my parents are quite happily married, as are my siblings."

"Maybe my parents wouldn't have struggled so much if they'd learned that early on."

"You are wise for your years, Isabella. I had not expected that concept to be grasped by someone so young."

"Pfft, someone so young? You can't be that much older than me. How old are you anyway?"

He hesitated, then his lips curled into a mischievous smile. "You want that in human or dog years?"

Bella laughed. "Human, please," she answered, then as an afterthought added, "I wouldn't expect a man like you to hold to the insult that men have something in common with dogs."

"I'm twenty-three," he said. "And I do believe that man has quite a bit in common with beasts, not only those of the canine persuasion. There's a bit of a monster in all of us. Just some more than others..."

Bella could tell from the way he said it, he believed it. For all his beauty and confidence, she didn't expect him to struggle with self-esteem. She looked up into his eyes and held his golden gaze. "Nothing could be further from the truth, from what you've shown me so far. I trust you."

His beautiful face took on a visage of pain. "Don't."

"Why?" She scooted closer to him and was about to touch his arm, but he recoiled, and she pulled back her hand. He looked like he was holding his breath.

_Okay, first odd moment of the night. Is this a delayed reaction to my illness on his part, or was Juliette right?_

An awkward silence settled over them. She was afraid to speak because she knew if she did, she would burst into tears. Had this been some kind of social experiment for him all along? She couldn't wait for the carriage ride to end. What began as a romantic ride through the cobblestoned streets in Old Montreal had ended badly.

When they returned to the carriage stand, she finally found her voice.

"I'll catch a cab back to my dorm." Bella held her breath, hoping to staunch the inevitable flow of tears. She turned to walk in the direction opposite his car.

He took her arm, hissing, "That is not an option, Isabella."

The dam broke; she had not been able to get away fast enough. Helpless tears sprang from her eyes. "You don't get to tell me what my options are. Clearly, you are repulsed by me, or...or something. I'm going back to my dorm." She pulled her arm from his grasp and began moving toward the busy cross street.

Edward dogged her steps, in a frantic appeal. "I cannot allow you to return un-escorted. That would be the height of impropriety. I picked you up, and I should take you back to your dormitory. Isabella, please..." He darted in front of her and encircled her upper arms with his hands, stopping her forward movement.

"Edward, you don't have to take me back out of some misplaced sense of duty. I made my way just fine in this city before you came along. If it's all the same to you, I'd rather resume that now. Your mixed signals are really doing a number on my feelings, and my time is too short to live like that. Let's not play games. If you don't want me, we need to end this now before someone get's hurt." She moved to step around him, but he still wouldn't let her.

"There's been a misunderstanding," he insisted. "My reaction back there wasn't a rejection of you—it was fear, plain and simple. I want you... in ways that you wouldn't be able to accommodate healthy, let alone in your current fragile state. I am inexplicably drawn to you, so much so that I fear I might harm you in some way. I am seeking to be careful—cautious with you physically and emotionally. It stands to reason that you might interpret some of my actions as a rebuff, but I swear to you, it was not meant to be."

Dubious, Bella looked into his eyes, as he cupped her face and swept her tears away with the pads of his thumbs. Was that the simple truth? He had not in the brief time they had known one another willfully told her anything that could be construed as a lie. Now he was looking at her with such remorse and gentleness, she couldn't believe that he desired to hurt her. Besides, he'd just said that he wanted her. _Holy crow!_

She placed her hands on his and pressed them closer to her face. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, his lips cool to the touch, making her skin tingle. His sweet breath fanned over her face as he spoke against her skin. "I'm sorry for hurting you, Isabella, unintentional though it was."

"And I'm sorry for overreacting," she said with a wry smile.

~888~

Edward heard Alice mentally berating him as he made his way to their suites. Not bothering to make an attempt to ignore her and retire to his own room, he went to her door and entered without knocking.

Her glare and low growl might have disarmed him if he were human, but he regarded her with contrition, hoping she would forgive him and advise him what to do to fix things. How he wished he could read Isabella's mind. Their misunderstanding earlier could have been avoided had he been able to read her and refute the trajectory of her thoughts before she responded to his reaction to her blood.

"Are you trying to drive your one hope for happiness in this century away?" Alice scolded. "I saw three different scenarios of your future when you cringed."

"I meant what I said. I wasn't rejecting her, I was overwhelmed by her scent. I wanted to drain her, and she was moving closer to me with no regard whatsoever for her own safety."

Alice's features softened. "I know it's still difficult for you to be around her, but we have only a week left for her to fall in love with you. Every vision I've had of your future with Bella hinges on her falling in love with you first. She will agree to be changed only because she loves you."

Edward bristled inside at her belief that, given a choice, Isabella would willingly want to become what they were. The physician in him believed that there was hope for her with all the strides medicine had made in the last several decades. He would do everything he could, exhaust every avenue before he would rob her of her soul. Entertaining the option to change her was out unless nothing else could be done.

Thankfully, Alice concentrated only on decisions that had to do with him winning her heart. For this he was grateful, because she would surely alert the family if she knew his intentions were to leave her human if he could, whether she turned out to be his mate or not. Admittedly, his feelings had warmed for her since they had been dating, but he wasn't altogether sure if that was due to the call of her blood to him or in spite of it.

"I'm sorry, Alice. I did as much damage control as I could on the spot. Surely, that was of some help. She seemed to accept my explanation and my apology easily enough."

"I think it rattled her so badly because of something her roommate said to her earlier. You've got to convince her that her roommate's fears about you are baseless and unfounded."

Edward growled. "Her roommate is a disingenuous twit who would betray her in a heartbeat if I showed a modicum of interest in her."

"That may be true, but Bella can't read her roommate's mind. You have to remember most people, human or vampire, don't have that advantage."

"So, how do you suggest I do this?"

"Well, we begin by reassuring Bella that your intentions toward her are genuine and heartfelt. I'll have a bouquet of flowers sent to her first thing in the morning."

"No, I'll do that. If the idea is that they are to come from me, then they should really come from me."

"You're really getting into this wooing thing," she teased.

"Make up your mind, Alice," he snapped. "Either you want me to do this and do it properly or not at all."

"The gist is that _you_ should want to do this because it involves _your_ future," Alice said stiffly. "If you're not doing this because you want to, then I should just go back home to Jasper."

She flitted over to the closet, grabbed her suitcase and began throwing her things into it at vampire speed. Alice was well and truly ticked off at him, calling him every variety of jackass she could conjure along with a few other choice expletives. For the second time in as many hours, he had inexplicably angered a female, and he was perplexed. Despite the fact that he didn't get physically tired, it exhausted him emotionally.

However, he couldn't allow Alice to go back home angry. He didn't enjoy hurting her feelings. Besides, Jasper would read her emotions and hunt him down for sending his mate back in such a state. He could hold his own fighting with any other vampire, but he didn't relish being on Jasper's bad side. His brother had been a Confederate soldier, and had fought in many vampire skirmishes since his change. Jasper, no doubt, had moves of which Edward wouldn't particularly want to be on the receiving end.

He jumped in and stilled her movements as she locked her suitcase. "Alice."

She slowed. "What?"

"I'm sorry."

He must have been sufficiently penitent, because she immediately thrust herself into his arms, practically bowling him over.

"I know you mean it," she said with a satisfied smirk, "because I can count on one hand how many times you've said it in the decades I've known you."

He opened the suitcase and together they put her things away again in less than thirty seconds. "So, tomorrow morning we have a museum visit and a late lunch at the museum cafe."

Alice's thoughts suddenly became jumbled, alerting Edward to a vision that he would see clearly in a moment. The haze cleared, and he saw himself and Isabella laughing as they reclined on the floor of his suite, having what looked to be a picnic lunch. He reached over to tuck her hair behind her ear and his lips followed his hands as he kissed her behind her ear.

"There's your more romantic option," Alice said triumphantly.

~888~

The next morning, Bella was awakened by a call from the lobby. Apparently, there was a delivery for her. Curious, she completed her morning toilette in half the time, got dressed, and made her way down on the elevator to the desk. The student attendant smiled and gestured to a humongous bouquet of long-stemmed lavender roses.

"Isabella Swan?"

"Yes."

"Someone's got it bad for you. Two dozen lavender roses. I've never seen that color before."

Bella couldn't control the smile that crept across her face. She had never seen this color before either but had read somewhere once that the lavender rose was a sign of enchantment and love at first sight. Considering their misunderstanding the night before, she wasn't surprised at all by this gesture. Edward's message was clear, and it thrilled her to no end.

She moved one of the plants she'd kept from her hospital stay and replaced it with the bouquet. Sliding the card from the holder, she sat on the bed to read it.

_My Dear Isabella,_

_I am but a shell of a man and prone to grievous error in matters of the heart, it would seem. _

_My actions, though well-intentioned, _

_sometimes manifest themselves in direct opposition to my feelings._

_I hope these flowers convey the promise of my true objective._

_Again, please forgive me._

_Yours,_

_Edward_

Reading his card made her feel like she had received a note from Mr. Darcy. It was like she was Alice in Wonderland, but _she_ hadn't fallen down a rabbit hole; a suitor from her literature books had entered her world. It seemed that their misunderstanding was the impetus for him to make his intentions known in a way that was not duplicitous or pretentious and this made Bella happy. So many times, she'd listened to conversations among her friends about dating drama, something she wanted no part of. She and Edward seemed to be on the same page in that regard.

His thoughtfulness knew no bounds, and his sweet gestures slowly and methodically swept her off her feet. Edward's treatment of her bordered on fairy tale unreal, and she liked him—a lot. Granted, she had not had an opportunity to have a second or third date with anyone in a long time, and now that they had spent time together every day since her release from the hospital, she knew there was something special, if not a little weird, about Edward. Juliette's misgivings had caused her to observe him a bit more closely. However, nothing he did put her off. In fact, his actions only served to make her want to know more about him.

She couldn't wait to see him. They were taking a trip to another museum, and she wanted to thank him for the flowers and invite him to Redpath Hall on Sunday. After all that had transpired the night before, it had slipped her mind to invite him to the musical presentation to meet with her friends there.

Edward called for her promptly at ten forty-five. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts opened at eleven, and they would check out a few exhibits there and then enjoy a late lunch at his hotel.

As had become his habit, he came up to her room to escort her down to his car. Unable to contain her anxiousness, she had already laid her coat, scarf, and gloves out to bundle up for their outing. When he knocked, she immediately opened the door and welcomed him in.

She followed his eyes as they found the roses sitting on her nightstand. "Thanks so much for the flowers, Edward. They're beautiful, but your apology last night would have been enough."

He smiled. "That may be true, but the incident served a greater purpose. It provided me with another opportunity to give you flowers."

She moved to pick up her coat and he moved in concert to assist her. Bella smiled and paused. Having learned her lesson the night before, she didn't want him to be spooked by any sudden movements on her part. "Would you mind if I gave you a hug?"

He looked bemused, his golden eyes smiling, his lips drawn into a smirk. "Of course," he said as he held his arms aloft to return her embrace. Bella moved into his strong arms as they enveloped her shoulders, wrapping her arms around his waist in response. She could have sworn she felt him take in a deep breath as his nose skimmed her hair. She took the liberty to do the same thing. He smelled like a mixture of musk, pine, and cool winter air.

~888~

The Museum of Art had no parking, so they found a parking garage nearby and walked the half-block to the building. The sidewalks were salted, but Edward held her hand, not wanting her to slip and fall. Although they were both wore gloves, he felt like there was a current that passed between them. He couldn't resist looking at her; she was so beautiful. He decided he'd better begin some conversation, or she might truly think he was eccentric.

"Have you been here before?"

"Yes, back in August when I first arrived. There was a Miles Davis exhibit here. A few of us from McGill came the day before it ended. I'm sorry you missed it."

"It's quite all right. I attended a live Miles Davis concert once." He hoped she wasn't familiar with Miles Davis enough to catch his faux pas. No such luck.

"When? When you were like five? He died in 1991. You couldn't have been old enough to remember seeing him."

"I have very vivid memories," he explained.

"So in addition to being genius-level smart, you have an eidetic memory like Dr. Reid Spencer on _Criminal Minds_?"

He looked momentarily confused.

"Don't tell me, you've never even heard of _Criminal Minds_, arguably one of the best crime dramas on TV in the US and Canada?"

"I don't watch television as a rule," he said. "I have one in my home, but it's almost never on."

"How do you entertain yourself?"

"I read, compose and play pieces on my piano; I have season passes for the opera, the symphony orchestra, and various other theaters and arts venues here in Montreal. Believe me, I lead a full, very interesting life, without the necessity of watching television."

"You're missing out on some great shows. Some, I admit, aren't worth your time. Reality TV is just ridiculous, but I think you would love some of the movies with an historical slant that I adore, like _The Count of Monte Cristo_, _Les Miserables_, _The Man In The Iron Mask_, and _Shakespeare in Love_."

"I've seen the play _Les Miserables_, and Dumas' works I get, because I've read most everything he's written, and you seem to have a fascination with the fellow, but what is _Shakespeare in Love_?"

"It's a fictional portrayal of Shakespeare as a fledgling playwright who falls in love with one of his actors, who's actually a woman pretending to be a man, as society forbade women to be actors during that time."

"That seems like quite the tale."

"What I like about it is that it's done in a manner reminiscent of his comedies and uses many of the characters, lines, and plot devices from his works. Most guys still view it as a chick flick, because of the romantic element."

"Were you to write, would it be something along this vein?"

"Maybe," she said with a smirk. "I'd probably write something a little more contemporary, with an historical slant, like _Kate and Leopold_."

"_Kate and Leopold_?"

"A movie starring Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman. He's a 19th Century Duke, and she's a 21st Century career woman. The Duke travels through a time portal to the 21st century, and he and Kate fall in love. The logline says it all: 'If they lived in the same century, they'd be perfect for each other.'"

It's Edward's turn to smirk. "Another dig about me being old-fashioned, Miss Swan?"

"If the shoe fits, Mr. Cullen." He held the door for her. "Seriously, why do you speak so formally? Were your parents transplanted Europeans who sent you to upper crust private schools?"

"Something like that," he hedged.

As they entered the museum, they were immediately greeted by an eager docent in the almost deserted museum. Obviously people were preparing for the holidays, or it was too early for other museum visitors. Bella was happy that Edward was able to ditch the docent. She wanted to talk to him without the constant droning from a museum guide. Besides, they were both reasonably intelligent and could read, or listen to the audio guides, if necessary.

Bella wanted them to choose collections to view democratically, because Edward was insistent that they view only things she was interested in. She chose the _Studio Glass: Anna and Joe Mendel Collection_, the exhibition _Opéra de Montréal Takes the Stage at the Museum, _and _The Earth is Blue Like an Orange _collection. Edward chose, Rouge _Cabaret—The Terrifying and Beautiful World of Otto Dix_, the National Gallery of Canada's extensive collection of nineteenth-century French photography, and Ben Weider's Napoleonic collection.

"No fair. You chose things you thought I might like anyway, didn't you?" Bella accused.

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying I'm not interested in Otto Dix, French photography, and Napoleon?"

"No, but—"

"You're not the only one who has eclectic tastes, Ms. Swan."

For the life of her, Bella couldn't think of a snarky reply. She rolled her eyes playfully, grasped his hand, and pulled him toward the glass exhibit.

They spent most of the morning and early afternoon perusing international art glass, pessimistic German expressionist paintings, French photographs from daguerreotypes to paper prints, operatic costumes and music, contemporary art by Japanese, American, and Canadian artists, and rare and unique works and objects associated with Napoleon and the arts under the First Empire. Between exhibits, Edward always found a place for them to sit and discuss what they'd seen. Bella realized after a couple of exhibits that he rested on her behalf, and she was grateful. Edward was very knowledgeable of the historic exhibits and brought many of the pieces to life for her. She had never had a better time in a museum.

On their way back to Edward's hotel, where they would be having lunch, he took a cryptic call from Alice on his cell phone. Bella found the interaction between the siblings amusing. Alice seemed to be someone with whom he could be himself. Bella only hoped that he could be as at ease with her at some point.

The Château Versailles was a small, charming non-chain hotel. Bella was intrigued and felt it exuded an atmosphere that suited Edward's tastes perfectly. The walls were adorned with a mix of rich fabric textures set against vibrant color schemes with a backdrop of exquisite antiques. All the suites were different in some very unique way. Edward's boasted a fireplace with mouldings, high-ceilings with remarkable ceiling friezes, a unique Art Deco lamp, and a selection of original art and photographs of past residents.

Someone, most likely Alice, had assembled a luxurious indoor picnic for them, replete with a basket full of goodies, a checkered tablecloth spread on the floor over a plush throw rug in front of the fireplace. A bottle of champagne chilled in a bucket of ice, with two place settings of china, glassware and cutlery bearing the hotel's logo, while dimmed lighting with candles illuminated the room, and soft music played in the background.

Bella was delighted. "Edward, this is perfect!"

"I'm glad it's to your liking," he said as he took her hand, and she got comfortable on the rug. He followed suit and joined her, busying himself serving their lunch.

Bella noted that he served her two times more than he served himself, but she was so famished, she didn't complain. Halfway through devouring her own lunch, she became fascinated with feeding him. Surprisingly, he consumed every morsel of food and every sip of champagne she offered and reciprocated by feeding her. There were delicious, crust-less cold sandwiches, three varieties of cold salad, and luscious fresh fruit.

The feeding wasn't nearly as romantic as she'd anticipated. The juice from the ripe fruit invariably dripped from their mouths, and Bella giggled at Edward's expressions when this happened. As a very tidy person, the mess was making him uncomfortable. He took a napkin and took turns dabbing at her mouth and his own as the juicy mishaps occurred.

She offered him the last strawberry, and he took a bite, the juice dripping from the corner of his mouth. He captured the drip with his tongue before it could drizzle to his chin. Bella laughed and popped the last half into her own mouth, chewed and swallowed.

"We are such sloppy eaters."

For some reason, Edward found her observation hilarious.

"What?" she asked. His laughter was so contagious, she found herself laughing with him despite not being in on the joke, just yet. Her hair fell forward on one side, partially obscuring her face.

Their laughter abated, and he reached over and tucked her hair behind her ear. Before he released her hair, he planted a soft kiss behind her ear, and then another on her cheek, perilously close to her mouth. "Truer words were never spoken," he murmured with an esoteric smile.

Bella felt a warmth that traveled from the chastely loaded kisses through her system, making every one of her nerve endings alive and alert to him. There was a sexiness about Edward Cullen that made her respond to him like she had no other man. He made her hopeful that, contrary to her earlier beliefs, she wouldn't die a virgin.

~888~

Bella invited him to a musical event at the University with her roommate and her fiancé on Sunday, which Edward immediately accepted, sensing that she was anxious that there be some turnabout in their courtship, as it were. Edward had been careful to leave a good impression on the roommate and her fiancé, as Alice had advised.

At the end of the evening, her "friends" could only come to the consensus that sickly Bella had found herself a "winner." Edward was careful not to respond to the poisonous thoughts that were very often in conflict to what they actually said. Juliette said she was "happy" for Bella, but was secretly jealous of her "catch." Jean-Paul had wondered if his decision not to seduce his fiancée's "sickly but hot roommate" had been a sound one, since she seemed like fair game for a guy like Cullen. Their feelings for Bella were diametrically opposed to their thoughts, and Edward was glad she was leaving them soon.

On Saturday night, they attended a Muse concert at Colisée Pepsi with Alice in tow. Edward was concerned that Bella would grow tired, so he hired a limousine service to pick them up and drop them off. He and Alice had not considered what the loud music and the cacophony of voices and bodies would do to their heightened senses. They were miserable, but Bella seemed to be having a grand time. The light show was enough to give a non-epileptic a seizure, and the noise from the screaming fans would have been deafening to the least sensitive of their kind. When only the loud music was playing, it was tolerable, however the screaming fans were both his and Alice's undoing, but he was determined to give Bella this experience.

_Can I beg off with a headache, brother dear? _Alice pleaded in her thoughts.

_Absolutely not, _Edward replied in vampire speed. _If I have to suffer through this, so do you._

While they believed they were careful to conceal their distaste for the live concert, Bella did not seem to be entirely convinced that he and Alice were enjoying themselves. After the fourth number by the headlining band, Bella turned to Edward.

"Can we go now?" She had to yell in his ear to ensure she was heard over the music. He would have heard her even if she'd whispered, but she didn't know that.

He was slightly taken aback. "Are you sure?"

"Positive." He narrowed his eyes, and she smiled to convince him further. "I've heard my favorites, and I want to conserve some energy for tomorrow."

"Very well," he finally conceded. Alice was so happy, she couldn't conceal her pleasure at their decision to leave. Bella blushed when she saw Alice's relief that they were departing. Edward scowled playfully at his sister. Bella sighed and took the hand he offered as they made their way out of the concert hall.

Later, after dropping Bella off and waiting a decent amount of time to assure that she was asleep, he scaled the wall of her dormitory, as he had become accustomed to doing, and entered her room.

Watching Bella sleep was second among the things he liked about her, the first being his inability to read her mind. Her dreams seemed to be vivid, and she was vocal in slumber in a way that he couldn't capitalize on while she was awake. In the twelve days they had been getting acquainted, he had become more and more intrigued with her intellect and her singular selflessness, which left him absolutely perplexed.

It was as if she was immune to the condescension and meanness most of her classmates and her roommate felt for her. He couldn't help but feel that she chose to be oblivious because she had such an appreciation for the brevity of life. He considered himself a monster, yet he found himself admiring that she was so kind and good to others. She was very much like Carlisle in this respect: a good person through and through. She was generous and caring to a fault and, oddly, found immense satisfaction in putting others' needs before her own, having done this for her parents and now everyone else with whom she came in contact.

On that night, he realized that she had captured his heart, when she spoke words that he had no doubt were only for him. Vivid dreams were the norm for Bella every night, accompanied by sporadic talking while she slept. She had been asleep for several hours when she moved on the bed and moaned more than he had ever witnessed before. He flitted to her side in vampire speed, on the ready to comfort her just in case she was having a nightmare. However, he realized as he came closer to her bed that she was not having a nightmare; she was actually having what appeared to be a very sensual dream. Her mahogany hair was splayed wildly on her pillow, her face was flushed, and she was writhing under her blankets.

His first reaction at this realization was to flee, because he had been born and lived as a human at a time when there had been a healthy respect for propriety, and old habits died hard. He moved to the window, prepared to leave, when he heard her moan his name.

_"Edward..." _

He stopped in his tracks, still as a statue. Was he somehow a part of the sensual dream she was having? His curiosity getting the better of him, he moved back to hover over her. He allowed himself a shallow breath and took in her freesia scent.

Bella mumbled what seemed to be just a garble of words, and then he heard her clearly say,_ "I want to be with you... forever, Edward"._

If he had a living beating heart, it would have leapt out of his chest at that moment.

Allowing himself to breathe deeper, he smelled the faint scent of arousal mingled with the floral scents coming from her skin. There was also a hint of wild strawberries, which he sometimes smelled coming from her hair. He was certain now that Bella was experiencing an orgasm.

As he took in the various scents coming from her soft, warm body, he realized that he could concentrate on something other than the call of her blood to his thirst. He looked down and, as if surprised by his own body's reaction, found _himself_ aroused. He then left her room in a blur, bewildered by his discovery, yet resolute in his decision.

~888~

Bella left her final exam elated that she had completed yet another semester of college. With one semester left to go at UW, she prayed that she would survive at least until May, so she could complete her degree. Even if she never had an opportunity to use her education, it was important to her to finish, as it was one of the few things she was able to control and knew she was good at.

With the stress of the semester lifting as a veil, she hurried as quickly as her weak heart and overworked lungs would allow to meet Edward in the parking lot behind Dawson Hall. When Bella exited the building, she turned back to look at it fondly for a few seconds. She had spent most of her time in this building while on the McGill Campus, and she would miss it. In the four short months she had been in Montreal, she had really grown to love the place and its people. The Quebecois were a warm and colorful people, and they had welcomed her as if she were one of their own.

When she turned back to look for Edward's car, he stood a few feet in front of her. _How odd,_ she thought. She had not heard him approach. There was so much that she thought odd about Edward, but at the same time adorable. Sometimes, she got the feeling that he was otherworldly, because he was so handsome and pale. She wondered if he might be the real Good Samaritan or her fairy Godfather or something, he was so perfect. If Edward were just some random good Samaritan, he would have left her off at the hospital and gone on with his life. However, he had been there when she had gone into congestive heart failure and had taken care of her until she was released from the hospital.

He'd even called his sister from out of town to help. And Alice. Sometimes it looked as if they were made from the same mold, yet they were as different as night and day. They had both infiltrated her life so completely and in so short a period of time, she could not bear to think that she might never see them again.

Like a gentleman of days past, Edward had asked if he could come to call on her when she was released. He looked contemporary, dressed in what she had come to realize were designer clothes, but everything else about him screamed "old soul." At other times, she felt like there was an undercurrent of danger that surrounded him. Despite the faint uneasiness she felt around him, somehow she knew that he would never allow the danger to touch her.

Edward knew everything about her condition and hadn't run in the other direction. He had not run away, but he was also not making any other moves. She was perplexed. On the one hand, he was attentive and caring, but on the other, he seemed willing to go only so far with her. He had not kissed her in the ways she had been dreaming about once in the many times they had been together in the last couple of weeks.

Of course, he had kissed her on her cheeks and on her hands, which she found very romantic, but she wanted to see if they really had combustible chemistry. The attraction was there on her part, but she couldn't tell if he felt anything close to what she had been feeling almost since the first day they met. They had crammed so much into the time they had left to get to know one another before she would be returning to Forks. Yet, she had not even been brave enough to ask him what would happen when she had to leave.

But right now, Edward stood in front of her. His breathtaking smile pushed those thoughts out of her mind. It was the most unguarded smile she had ever received from him.

"I take it you aced your final exam," he said. She could never get enough of hearing his velvety smooth voice.

He offered her his perpetually cool hand, and she laced her warm fingers through his. "But of course," she teased. "Genius that I am."

In an uncharacteristically spontaneous move, he pulled her close to his side, placing his arm possessively around her waist. Bella was so taken by surprise, she stumbled and he steadied her.

"Careful, love," he said smiling indulgently. "I need you to be conscious on your final day in Montreal."

Bella's cheeks grew red when it registered that he had called her "love." This was new. She adjusted her steps to his as they made their way to his car.

"What are we doing today?" she asked. "Does Alice have an itinerary for us?"

He opened the passenger door of his silver Audi S4L. "The afternoon is ours, but Alice has plans for us tonight." He made sure she was comfortably in and buckled up. "I thought we might ride out to my house in Laval."

"That sounds great," she said. She had been curious about his home and equally curious to see his coveted baby grand since they had gone to see Dolce Musica the week before. Bella had been excited about taking him to a musical event because he was such a music aficionado, and played and composed pieces for the piano. So engrossed was she at the idea that she would finally get to see his home, she didn't realize that the car had not moved. She glanced back at Edward to find him studying her, more specifically her mouth.

"I'd like to try something," he murmured, as if asking her permission with his golden eyes.

"Okay," she acquiesced.

Once he seemed satisfied that she was willing, he leaned toward her slowly and then halted. "Please, be very still," he coaxed. Bella struggled to stay calm and not make any sudden moves. Her weak heart began racing in her chest. She didn't want to ruin the moment for him, although if he were going to kiss her, did he not want her to respond?

After several excruciating seconds, their lips touched; his were smooth and firm to her soft and pliant ones. Edwards's lips were sweet, as was his breath. He explored her lips with his before daring to seek any further pleasures, and then his tongue darted out and touched hers briefly, almost hesitantly.

He emitted a low groan and deepened the kiss just a bit. Bella moaned in response as her body began to heat up from the gentle yet erotic way his tongue massaged her own. She leaned in as much as her fastened seat belt would allow. As she did, she heard a low guttural moan that sounded almost like a growl and he quickly pulled away, breaking the kiss before she could relax into it.

She thought she saw a fleeting look of fear in his eyes, before he sighed deeply and smiled the little crooked smile that made her already damaged heart skip beats.

His voice was husky with emotion. "You taste exactly the way I imagined."

"And how is that?" she asked through shallow breaths, trying not to pant.

"Like the epitome of an epicurean delicacy that is only to be tasted… and not consumed."

~888~

Edward watched Bella as she stood for the first time in his home in the Laval-sur-le-lac neighborhood, scanning through a sampling of his collection of books. There were only a few that he and Alice had not packed when he'd returned from Bella's room the night before, firm and unyielding in the realization that Alice had been right. Bella was his soul mate. After an hour-long conversation with Carlisle and another half-hour of Carlisle explaining to the rest of the family, they had all come to the agreement that they would be moving back to Washington State.

As patriarch of the family and in deference to the special place Edward held in his heart as his firstborn vampire son, Carlisle believed that the family should willingly make the move that would help Edward to woo his mate. Edward had not corrected his family's belief that he would change Bella when the time came. He would tell them the truth once they were settled in Seattle.

His first priority was Bella's health and safety. Edward would spare no expense getting her the best medical treatment that money could buy, and he would get her that heart transplant if he had to secure the organ himself through the black market. She was his raison d'être. That fact alone made it easier for him to be around her, in spite of the excruciating thirst her blood still elicited in him.

Even when he hunted until he was overly-sated, there was still a burn whenever he breathed in her presence. Now that he was determined not to kill her, he could exercise some semblance of control over his baser instincts. He held his breath most of the time when he was around her, but his love for her scent and the desire to be close to her made him constantly push the boundaries.

He watched closely as Bella pulled a copy of "The Count of Monte Cristo" from the shelf and examined the front page. Turning to look at him, her eyes widened in surprise. "Edward, this is a first edition. Do you have any idea what this could be worth?"

He would really have to have a conversation with her later about the vast amount of wealth his family possessed in both liquid and non-liquid assets. Her expression was so adorable, he struggled not to laugh. "Bella, sometimes the sentimental value of a possession is regarded more highly than its worth."

"You are so right. My barely middle class upbringing is showing." Her attempt at self-deprecation angered him. Edward moved to stand in front of her. She hazarded a sheepish look up into his eyes.

Not desiring his anger to be misinterpreted or to frighten her, he made sure his eyes were tender as he took both her hands in his. "Your heart and soul transcend man's flimsy ideas of class, Bella."

Tears threatened to overflow from her eyes. "No one's ever said anything quite that beautiful to me before."

"I daresay you've been dating a fickle lot of humans, then," he said, speaking to her as if she already knew he was different. This was the final hurdle. He would reveal to her what he was. If she did not reject him, he would be completely sure that they were destined to be together. His reasoning was that if she could know that he was a monster and still care for him that would be all the proof he needed.

"Fickle, indeed," she said, giggling. Her brow furrowed, and she pursed her lips as if to ask a question, but then she shook her head, as if to clear it.

"I did say 'humans,' Bella," he hastened to reassure her.

"Does that mean… that you are not?" she asked. She didn't pull her hands away from him or look as if she was afraid, but her heart rate accelerated a bit.

His golden eyes held her gaze. "Yes."

"May I ask what you are, if you aren't human?" She struggled to keep her voice even.

"I'm interested in hearing your theories."

He released her left hand, but kept her right in his as he maneuvered them over to the sofa.

Edward gestured for her to sit first, and she did so, her eyes not leaving his. He sat next to her but angled slightly so they could face each other as they conversed.

"I knew there was something different about you, but when I'm with you I can't think clearly. Originally, I thought you might be my fairy godfather, or something…"

He chuckled. "Childhood fairy tales?"

She laughed with him. "Well… You never seem to eat or drink much of anything, and your skin is strong, but pale and cold, you have an aversion to sunlight… and you're quite stealthy. Are you a fallen angel, the son of a mythical god, or maybe a superhero?"

"Would it be repulsive to you if I were a bad guy?" he asked.

"Edward, you're no more bad than I am. You put off this air of danger, but it's just a front."

"Would that it were just a front, Bella. My origin is darker in nature," he said. "I was changed into what I am in 1918 by my adoptive father, Carlisle Cullen. I was dying of the Spanish Influenza, and my human mother encouraged him to save me using whatever means he had at his disposal. It just so happened that Carlisle was a vampire, and he made me one so I wouldn't die the horrible death that my parents did." He paused to get her reaction, a difficult proposition considering that he couldn't read her thoughts. Using the abilities available to him, he could hear that her heart rate did not accelerate this time, but her breathing was a little erratic.

Feeling encouraged, he continued. "My family strives to be different from the vampires you hear about in folklore. We don't drink the blood of humans, usually, and we live a more civilized lifestyle. Most of our kind drink human blood, and many live as nomads, moving from place to place to avoid discovery. We don't go out into the sunlight because our skin sparkles like a prism when we're in the sun. We have a governing body, the Volturi, a trinity of royals, for lack of a better description, who rule over our kind. There is one principal rule we must obey."

In a tremulous voice, Bella asked, "What is that?"

"Keep the secret," he said blandly. Then he smiled. "Now that you know, my fate is in your hands."

"They would kill you if they knew that I know?" Her eyes were wide with fear.

"After they were bored from subjecting me to various forms of torture, yes. But my most grievous fear is that they would kill you, too."

"Edward, you know I don't have an optimistic prognosis. You shouldn't concern yourself with my safety," she said seriously. Then she flashed him a coquettish smile. "I would have been content to wonder about you and crush on you from afar, because I have nothing of value to offer you."

"On the contrary, Bella, what you have to offer is the most valuable gift, the likes of which I have never experienced in my 109 years."

"What would that be?"

"Unconditional romantic love."

~888~

Lying on the huge antique bed in the one room in Edward's home that held a bed, Bella remained, uncharacteristically, awake. Usually by three o'clock each day she was tired enough to take a nap, but she was too wired to sleep. The conversation she'd just had with Edward had answered a lot of questions she'd had about him, but left so many more in its wake. After he'd confessed to her what he was, he kept her company in the kitchen as she ate a delicious lunch that Alice had ordered for her, and insisted that she rest. He admitted that he needed to leave the house for a while, but would return in a couple of hours to take her back into the city for their final evening together in Montreal.

Bella wondered if he was going off to eat, in the way that his kind fed. She'd put the kibosh on her questions before he left, because she wanted to pose thoughtful more coherent questions later. She had kept quiet, but the questions roiled on in her head. There were also questions she had of herself.

Did she dare hope that she could be in a relationship and be happy before the rheumatic heart disease claimed her life? Was it fair for her to saddle a magnificent creature like Edward with an invalid? Would she be enough for him? Could she make him happy, if only for the briefest of times, if vampires could be truly happy? How could he possibly withstand such intimate contact with someone such as herself who was, essentially for him, a meal?

The majority of the questions she had for him were about his vampire nature. How often did he eat? Did he turn into a bat when he slept, or did he sleep in his current form in a coffin? Alice was one of his kind, and if there were other female vampires, why had he never married one? Could _she_ be changed into one of his kind if she wanted? And if so, would she still be sick? How did he support himself? He clearly operated as if money were no object. What was their source of income? Did he realize that she had to go back to finish school at UW, even though she wasn't sure if she would survive the semester? How would they sustain a long-distance relationship? How…?

Sleep finally came so suddenly, she couldn't form another complete thought.

~888~

When her eyes fluttered open, Bella saw Edward sitting stiffly in an armchair, watching her.

"What time is it?" she asked, stifling a yawn.

"Just half past four." He stood and approached the bed. "Did you rest well?"

"Yes, very well, once I allowed myself to relax."

She sat up, fully taking in his ethereal beauty. Bella wanted to pull him onto the bed and make out with him like most young women her age wanted to do with their boyfriends, but he was very careful about their physical relationship, and she didn't want to alarm him. Wait, did vampires consider themselves boyfriends and girlfriends? She wasn't sure yet if his reticence was because he was a gentleman from another time, or if his vampire nature made it impossible for him to share that kind of intimacy with a human. It was probably a little bit of both, she decided.

"What are you thinking?" he asked. "You look as if you're curious about something."

"Is it hard for you to be close to me?" she asked, deciding that this was the primary question she needed to be answered.

He didn't equivocate. "Yes."

"On a scale of say, one to ten, how difficult is it for you?"

He regaled her with that crooked smile again. "Fifteen."

Bella cringed. "Then why…?" She couldn't decide exactly how she wanted to phrase the next question.

"May I?" He gestured toward the bed, asking her permission to sit with her.

"If you can stand being this close to me, I won't say no," she said coyly.

"There is no short answer to that question, but I shall be as brief as I can," he began. "Some of us have gifts beyond the standard long life, agility, strength, speed… strange diets."

"Like what… super powers?" She grinned.

"That's one way of putting it," he said. "My sister, Alice, has the gift of seeing the future. My brother, Jasper, who is also Alice's mate, can manipulate and control the emotions of others. I can read minds."

"Wait, so if you can read minds, why didn't you just tell me what I was thinking a few minutes ago?" Her cheeks grew a dark pink at the prospect.

"Your mind is closed to me," he said as if he were quite pleased with that fact.

"Is there something wrong with me, I mean, besides the obvious?"

He chuckled, "I have confessed to you that I am a vampire and can read minds, and you think there's something wrong with you?"

"I have rheumatic heart disease, and my mind can't be read by my gifted vampire boyfriend. I find that kind of problematic," she said, chagrined.

He laughed outright then, and it was like music to her ears.

"So glad you find me amusing," she said with a playful smirk.

"Bella, I do find you amusing, but I also find you kind and compassionate, intriguing and brilliant, mysterious and exciting, and utterly delectable."

She was quiet for a few seconds. "Did you want to… kill me… when we first met?"

"Yes, I wanted your blood more than any I have encountered in all my years as a vampire."

"What stopped you?"

"Alice," he said simply, but she could see disappointment in himself on his face.

"She called you when we were in the exhibition hall at Les Salons Des Métiers D'Art. Now I remember."

"Alice convinced me that you were important to my future, that you are my future." He reached out and caressed her cheek with his cool hand.

Bella placed her warm hand over his. "I want to believe Alice. I want to believe that we have a future, but I know what the doctors have been telling me. Do you know of any vampire who has the power to heal humans?"

"As a rule, my kind is concerned with taking the lives of humans, not preserving them. However, my father, Carlisle, is a Doctor, as am I, but I don't practice, because of my innate weakness for human blood. He and I will research and figure out the best course of treatment for you, up to and including a transplant."

"Will you look for facilities in the U.S., possibly in or close to Washington State? I have to finish at UW in the spring, and I don't want my parents to have to travel outside the country for my treatment."

"Don't worry, my father has a wide network of colleagues that he can call on in the Seattle area." He smiled. "I intended to wait until we celebrated with Alice later tonight, but I might as well tell you now. We, meaning my family and myself, are moving to Seattle."

This news overwhelmed her. Bella threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.

Surprised at her sudden burst of affection, Edward seemed unsure what to do with his hands at first, but then he embraced her as well.

Bella had been blown away by his conviction regarding their future, but this news answered so many questions. There had been a time when she did not believe in miracles, but then there had also been a time when she did not believe in vampires. At this juncture, she was willing to believe almost anything.

~888~

**E/N: ****Museum of Fine Arts: http : / www dot mbam dot qc dot ca / en / **

(Close spaces and replace dots with periods to see website)

**McGill Conservatory presents WYO instrumental ensemble Dolce Musica**

**Dec. 13, 2009 - 2:30 PM**

Redpath Hall, 861 Sherbrooke Street West

Jean MacRae, director. Redpath Hall. Free

Raison _**d'être - reason for being**_

**My apologies for the length of time it has taken to update this little story. Hope you all haven't given up on me. Let me assure you that I am going to finish all stories and outtakes I have promised. Never fear.**

**Now that TLC is complete, I can concentrate on getting Yuletide Canticle and Always and Forever finished.**


	6. Chapter 5 Yuletide Canticle

**A/N: Hello Readers! I hope you're still here with me, despite my long absence from updating this story. My life has taken some unexpected turns, both of the welcome and unwelcome varieties. There has been more family drama which never seems to go away for long, but I am determined to get back up every time it knocks me down. In the interim, I have been writing very short fiction (under 1000 words) for literary magazines and e-zines, some of which have been accepted for publication. I'll let you guys know when those debut, if you're interested. **

**Thanks to Shug (SSHG316) who beta'd the original iteration of this story, and a big hug and thanks to Songster51 for beta'ing this monstrous revision for me. (Original Chapter 5 was over 10K and very dense with new information, so I split it. Which means you'll get another update very soon!)**

**As we near the Holiday Season I couldn't go another several months without completing this story. Some readers asked me to give a summary the next time I updated if it was more than a month. So without further ado, I give you a brief summary of the previous chapters, and then Chapter Five of Yuletide Canticle.**

_**Previously in Yuletide Canticle:**_

_**(Summary of Chapters 1-4)**_

While attending McGill University in Montreal, Canada as an exchange student, Bella runs into the enigmatic Edward Cullen while Christmas shopping for her mother. Bella's blood is so potent; Edward wants desperately to drain her on the spot. A phone call from Alice literally saves Bella's life and the future she sees gives Edward pause. While they are in line to make their separate purchases, Bella faints. Unwilling to leave his singer to be consumed by someone else, Edward accompanies her to the hospital, where he learns that Bella suffers from a heart condition which has degenerated to the point that she will die unless she receives surgical intervention. She is on the UNOS registry, but the odds of her receiving a heart before hers gives out is minute.

Joined by Alice in Montreal, Edward is still not convinced that he will spare the girl whose blood makes him insane with thirst. Swayed by Alice's insistence that Isabella Swan was the elusive mate he'd been waiting to find for almost a century, Edward capitulates. He promises his sister that he will refrain from drinking from Bella until she is scheduled to leave Canada. Edward believes the three weeks before she is to return home for the holidays should be enough time for a romance to develop if it is inevitable. If it does not, Isabella Swan would not leave Montreal.

Alice plans an intense courtship for the two of them which she dubs "The Bella Itinerary" and Edward takes Bella out. As he gets to know her better, his more than a decade as a cold emotionless monster melts away. He is finally able to see what Alice sees: that Bella Swan is, for all intents and purposes, his long-awaited mate. As he gets closer to her emotionally, his bloodlust wanes, but hasn't left him completely.

After three weeks of intense courtship, Edward's final test for Bella was to tell her what he was. He figured if she didn't run screaming from him, then they would have something to work with. Having suffered with her illness all of her post-adolescent life, Bella is ready to experience all that life has to offer her, so she's more than willing to have a relationship with a gorgeous vampire. Human men have avoided her because of her illness.

Edward and his family agree to move back to Seattle so they can pursue medical intervention for Bella, and Edward can meet her friends and family during the Christmas holidays.

**YULETIDE CANTICLE**

_**Chapter 5, The Dates Finale**_

Upon their return to Montreal, Bella found that Alice had moved all her belongings from the dormitory into a suite at Hotel Omni Montreal on the same floor as her and Edward.

"Why did you move out of the Chateau Versailles?" Bella asked.

"The Omni is more modern," Alice said as if it explained everything.

"The dorms are ancient. My parents' house is ancient."

Edward clarified. "We thought you might be more comfortable here."

Alice was so gracious; Bella didn't go on about it. Besides, it would put her in closer proximity to Edward for their final night together in Montreal, which made it worth the move.

Alice, already dressed in a winter green velvet dress, her hair smoothed back with a few gelled curlicues in the front, looked stunning as per usual. She informed her sibling that his clothing for the evening was laid out on the bed, and sent him to his suite to dress, then opened the closet to reveal attire for Bella as well.

Bella frowned. "Alice, you really shouldn't have gone to all this trouble. I should already have something I can wear tonight."

Alice just smiled, and held the blue satin cocktail dress in front of her, and gestured toward the mirror. "See how beautiful this color looks against your pale skin and dark hair? Edward is wearing a similar shirt and tie with his Armani suit. Do you have anything appropriate to complement?"

Bella wracked her brain as she thought of the few pieces she had that might accentuate the ensemble Alice described. But try as she might, she couldn't think of anything she had other than a couple of floral Sunday dresses that paled in comparison to the cocktail dress. She had to admit Alice was right.

"On second thought, I don't," she said. "I'll have to pay you back, though." Bella peered at the tag, unsurprised the portion bearing the price had been removed.

"Don't even think about it. Edward would be livid," Alice said with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. "My brother wants to pamper you, Bella. Now, go, take your shower. Your lingerie is laid out in the bathroom."

Bella sighed. "Just one question… no, two?"

"Yes?"

"How did you know my size? And how did you manage to get into my dorm room without me?"

"If I tell you that, I might have to kill you," Alice said with only the slightest hint of a smirk on an otherwise straight face.

Despite the fact that Alice was smaller than she, Bella realized she was a vampire and could indeed kill her. The wry, vampire sense of humor would take some getting used to. Yet, Bella smiled at her lethal diminutive friend and held her arms out for a hug. Like Edward, Alice's skin was resilient and cold, but Bella embraced her just as she would any of her human friends.

~888~

Neither Alice nor Edward breathed a word of their intended destination, and Bella had been clueless until they turned onto rue Saint-Catherine Ouest. Bella couldn't contain her excitement or curiosity.

"Are we going to see The Nutcracker?" she asked. She could see La Place Des Arts up ahead in all its avant-garde architectural beauty. For weeks she had been hearing about the production by Fernand Nault being presented by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal.

"That's the plan," Edward said with a smile.

"I told you she would love it, Edward," Alice enthused from the back seat.

Bella felt like Clara in the Nutcracker as they wended their way through the streets of Montreal. She viewed Edward as her loyal Nutcracker in his valiant attempt to kill the Mouse King that was her heart condition.

She tried to contain herself, but Bella gushed anyway. "This is awesome. Thank you both, so much. I've seen the ballet performed by the Pacific Northwest Ballet back home. PNB performs the Stowell/Maurice Sendak production, but I've been told that Fernand Nault's production is spectacular. The dancers of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal are so talented."

"Yes, they are," Edward agreed, as he maneuvered with expertise through the traffic.

They found a plum parking space despite the throngs of ballet attendees swarming all of the available entrances to the garage. Before Bella knew it, the entrance to La Place Des Arts was in view. However, there was quite a long walk from the car to La Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, the theatre where the production would be performed. Edward extended one arm to Bella and the other to Alice and escorted them both through the halls moving with the steady flow of ballet-goers walking in the same direction. The brisk pace made Bella's breathing labored within seconds, but slowing down was not an option, unless they wanted to be bowled over by the people behind them.

They had only been walking for few minutes, when Alice got a faraway look in her eyes and stopped. This caused the people behind them to swarm around on either side of them. Edward seemed to know what was happening, and gently pulled them both out of the flow. Bella was thankful for the reprieve, but concerned for Alice.

"Is Alice okay?" Bella looked back and forth between Edward and his dazed sister.

"She's fine," Edward said, as his arm snaked around Alice's waist to offer her more support. "She's just having a vision."

"What? Why?"

"She believes that you shouldn't walk all the way to the hall—that it's going to be too much for you," Edward said.

"But I feel fine." Bella's protest was automatic. She did not want to miss the ballet.

Edward's visage was grave. He took her hand in his and stated the facts as her doctor might. "Your breathing and heart rate _are_elevated only after a short walk."

"You can hear all that?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

"Another of our heightened abilities," Edward explained.

"It's rare that I'm wrong, Bella," Alice said, as her eyes focused again. "If you walk all the way, I see you being taken away in an ambulance. You should let Edward carry you."

Bella's eyes widened. "That would be so... embarrassing."

"I could get a wheelchair from the Concierge," Edward offered.

"Seriously?" Bella scoffed. "Neither option appeals to me."

"The choice is yours, love." Edward was concerned. "I will honor either option you choose, otherwise I might be forced to choose for you."

"Oh my God," she said. Her face pinked up visibly. "Is this what I have to look forward to—visions, threats, and ultimatums?"

"Only when your stubbornness compromises your health and safety," Edward said with a smirk. "Really, Bella, does the idea of being in my arms appall you so much? I could carry you around the world and never grow tired."

"I just don't like looking like an invalid."

"All the more reason you should let Edward carry you," Alice said. "Most people will view it as—romantic."

Before Bella could mount another protest, Edward literally swept her off her feet, and she had no choice but to wrap her arms around his strong shoulders and clasp her hands behind his neck, as he carried her through the halls of La Place Des Arts. Alice floated beside them, nodding at the smiles, cat-calls, best wishes, and strange looks they received from people in the halls as they made the several minute trek to la Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier. After a minute or so of being carried by her beautiful vampire, Bella relaxed and her blush dissipated.

Edward seemed to be holding his breath as he carried her, and while he did not complain, Bella knew that having her so close was difficult for him. She felt him swallow convulsively several times, and only once did he let the pleasant look on his face slip and she could see his pain. Her first thought was to lean closer to comfort him, but she knew that would not be helpful. Luckily, she spotted the entrance to la Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier up ahead and was relieved that he would finally be able to put her down.

Their seats were on the Corbeille Level, Loge 1, a private box that seated eight people. They took seats one through three in the front of the box, and Bella had a sneaking suspicion that Edward had purchased the entire box for the night and they would not be joined by any other humans. Alice's cell phone must have alerted her, because she took it, excused herself, and slipped out of the theatre.

Bella took Edward's cool hand in hers and leaned toward his ear. "Thank you for carrying me. It would have been a shame for me to get sick and miss this."

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and whispered back to her, his lips close to her ear. "You're very welcome, Bella. Carrying you was my pleasure."

"But I know _that_ pleasure wasn't without pain for you."

"Philosophers have long hypothesized that the sensations of pain and pleasure are part of a continuum. I gladly embrace that theory for you."

She brought his hand to her lips and kissed it. "I don't know if I deserve the sacrifices you're making for me."

He enclosed her warm hand in both of his. "Believe me, they pale in comparison to the sacrifices you are making for me."

Bella felt lost in his eyes for several seconds, and then she blushed and changed the subject. "Did you know that although E.T.A. Hoffman wrote the story that this ballet was based on, It was written as it is choreographed today by Marius Petipa and follows a revision of the original story written by Alexandre Dumas?"

"Dumas was quite a versatile and colorful character, and he contributed much to both French and World Literature. We have several of his first editions, in addition to the copy of _The__Count__of__Monte__Cristo_ you saw today," Edward said.

"Wait a minute. You said, 'we.' Does your family have as extensive a book collection as you do?"

"When I said we, I was referring to you and me," he said, his golden eyes locking with her brown ones. "I have no doubt that you are my mate, so what's mine is also yours."

Bella blinked, stunned by that admission, on both counts. He really viewed her as someone with whom he had a future, brief though it may be. Conversely, she didn't want to think about how wealthy he was and how that could change her life. Bella wanted to say something confident and sophisticated, but chose what she thought would be a less embarrassing subject.

"By the way, you never talk about working. Don't vampires have jobs? "she asked.

"Some of us do, but they are in the minority. Why?"

"I just wondered what a vampire does for income."

Edward smirked. "Are you worried that I won't be able to support you?"

Bella blushed and Edward growled low in his throat. She covered her cheeks with her clammy hands in an effort to cool them. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't ask such personal questions."

Edward pushed all air, and thus her scent, out of his lungs. "No question you could ever ask me is too personal."

"Your reaction…?"

"Was to your blush," he finished. "While I find it beautiful, it's difficult for me to see your blood rush to the surface of your skin like that."

"Oh." Bella couldn't think of anything further to say. She shifted her eyes forward to watch the orchestra warm up in the pit.

A cold finger touched her chin and angled her face gently to his, and cool lips touched hers like a whisper.

"And you shouldn't feel guilty about my reaction to you. That's my job," he said.

Bella breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now to answer your previous questions. Regarding income, my human parents left me a sizable inheritance. Regarding work, I have three medical degrees. However, my difficulty resisting human blood has not allowed me to practice. I do independent research and write for journals when I feel a need to flex my intellectual muscle.

Through the years, especially since Alice became part of our family, we have made very discreet investments that have proven to be quite lucrative for us."

Alice returned then and took her seat next to Bella.

"Yes, they use me like a fortune teller, Bella, a veritable personal stock broker…" Alice quipped.

Bella giggled. Alice leaned in and grew serious. "But I don't mind. I would do anything for my family, and that includes you, too, now."

The music of Tchaikovsky rose haunting and familiar as the ballet began, saving Bella from an embarrassing show of emotion. Sitting between Edward and Alice, she had never felt more pampered or protected than she currently did, between two vampires, no less.

The sets were lavish with shimmering costumes, comical scenes, sparkling ballet form, and enchanting colors and lights. It was a thrill to watch this ages old story told yet again by the principals, soloists, and corps de ballet of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal and its orchestra. Bella could only hope that her saga would end as happily as Clara's.

~888~

Fernand Nault was a genius and his Nutcracker production was excellent, but even that was no match for the handsome vampire who had taken her to the ballet, and who still held her hand as they stepped off the elevator onto their floor at the hotel. Alice moved so swiftly to her suite, Bella could barely track her with her eyes and Edward rolled his eyes heavenward.

"Alice... There are other guests on this floor," he said in good-natured frustration.

"All sleeping," she quipped back. "Besides, I've got a hot Skype date with my mate."

Edward gestured to Bella, but Alice was unperturbed. "Pssh, Bella doesn't count, she's as good as one of us."

Bella could feel Edward stiffen at that remark and for a few seconds she felt like the siblings were having some type of silent conversation between them.

"She's right," Bella said. "I don't want you guys to feel stifled around me. Just, do...what you do."

"See," Alice crowed. "She's going to be a great addition to our cov—"

"Our family," Edward finished, willing Alice into submission, their eyes dueling.

Finally Alice capitulated. "Goodnight, Bella," she said softly, and disappeared into her room, pointedly refusing to acknowledge her brother.

Edward escorted Bella to her door. Gone was the celebratory mood forged by the ballet. Careful to regard her with tender eyes, despite his sudden emotional detachment, Edward brushed her hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight, Bella."

Melancholy mood aside, Bella still wanted to invite him in. She took his hand. "Won't you come in for a while?"

"You need your rest," he insisted, even as he shot a morose look at Alice's door.

"There's no way I'll be able to go to sleep right away."

"That may be true, but we have a flight to catch mid-morning."

Bella removed her card key from her evening bag. It might not be altogether wise to insinuate herself into a squabble between the vampire siblings, but she had to ask. "Are you and Alice okay?"

He smiled. "Of course. Why would you ask that?"

"You two just had an intense stare down a minute ago. Don't tell me there wasn't something happening in that silent communication."

"Oh, that...It's just...Alice in her exuberance often speaks of things as if they've already happened given her gift. I was just reminding her that she shouldn't take things for granted." He took the key from her hand and opened the door.

"What things?" Bella narrowed her eyes. "Was it something to do with me?"

His protest was quick. "No."

Their relationship was too new for her to push any further; besides, she wasn't sure how she would handle the situation with a human man, let alone a vampire.

Bella stepped across the threshold into her room and turned to face him again. "Are you sure you don't want to come in?"

"It's not a matter of not desiring to do so. It has to do with what is prudent right now."

Of course. He had been in close proximity to her all evening, breathing in her scent and that couldn't be good for him, considering his predilection for her blood. Bella didn't want to torture him any further.

"You're right. It's been a long evening for you among humans, especially this particularly delicious one," she teased. "Goodnight, Edward." She wanted to kiss him so badly, but sensed that it was unwise.

Too keyed up to sleep, Bella showered and changed into a soft cotton pajama set, got on her laptop and emailed Angela Weber, her oldest and dearest friend since first grade. Angela had texted her earlier on the ride back from Laval, and she'd promised to get back to her later. They hadn't talked since before exams, and with Edward taking up the time she normally had to dish with her friend, she realized she'd been majorly lame on the friendship scale. Angela and her boyfriend since High School, Ben Cheney, were seniors at Stanford. Bella sent the email to both her email addresses, not sure which she would check first.

From: (at)(dot)ca

To: angelaw(at)standford(dot)edu; weberchild1(at)gmail(dot)com

Date: Sun, Dec 20, 2009 at

Subject: What I've Been Up To

Ange:

Sorry I couldn't have a longer text conversation with you earlier today, but we had special plans tonight and I'm just now getting back in.

If you're up and can talk, give me a call since it's sooo much earlier there. If you email me after tomorrow, please use my Gmail addy: (at)gmail(dot)com

Can't wait to tell you about Edward.

Bella  
xoxo

Bella put her iPod on shuffle and washed her face and brushed her teeth. She was singing along to a Paramore song when her cellphone rang. She smiled when she got a good look at the display and answered, "Hey, Ange. Where are you right now?"

"Hey, girlfriend. Ben and I are on the 101 headed home...and he says 'Hey,' too."

Bella paced with the phone to her ear, a smile plastered on her face. "Tell him I said 'hey' and to slow down."

She heard Ben grumble in the background, _Once__a__cop's__daughter,__always__a__cop's__daughter. _Then he cackled maniacally.

"Did you get that?" Angela asked. "I'm three and one half quarters of the way finished with a degree at Stanford and you two still have me passing messages back and forth like we're in fifth grade."

Bella laughed and made a wavy motion with her hand. "You know, that's just how we roll."

"Yeah, yeah," Angela said glibly. "So chica, who's this guy that's been wining and dining you at the eleventh hour before you're headed back to sunny Forks?"

"His name is Edward Cullen," Bella said careful to enunciate. Now was the time to begin to prepare the people in her life for the onslaught of the Cullen family. Angela had done more than any of her friends to keep the gossips at bay when they were in high school and Bella could use her considerable talents now. "He's on exchange from UW, too. I'd been seeing him around with another group of friends during the semester, but we just started seriously going out."

"And he's down with everything?" Angela was a protective mama bear, despite the fact they were the same age. Other than her parents, Angela probably took her illness harder than anyone.

"Yeah, he's cool with my condition. In fact, he has a genetic circulation thing going on, so he's paler than I am. Can you believe it?"

"Get out! Nobody's paler than you, Iz."

"Well, wait 'til you meet the Cullens."

"Looking forward to it. Hey, don't go getting all attached to him until he passes muster with me and Papa Swan, all right?"

Bella blushed even though her friend wasn't there. "That warning might be coming just a little... late."

Angela screamed. "No you didn't!" Bella heard what sounded like the phone drop and a scramble to retrieve it, but Bella waited patiently, grinning until Angela's voice came back.

"So, is this Edward a hottie, or what? Ooh, and Ben wants to know if he likes to play chess."

"As hotties go, I'd say on a scale of one to ten, he's a twenty."

"Shut up!"

"And I saw a chess board at his house, so I think it's safe to say he does play."

"Baby, he's a chess player," Angela said to Ben. Her voice grew soft. "Iz, I'm sooo happy for you. If anyone ever deserved to be happy, it's you. I mean, I was about to resort to blasphemy I was so upset that God hadn't sent you anyone, and that's serious for a preacher's daughter, you know."

"I know, Ange, and thanks. Although, I would have loved to see what blaspheming actually looked like on your part."

"Believe me, you don't want to know...So, I'll see you sometime tomorrow, right?"

"Well, maybe day after tomorrow, our flight gets into SeaTac kinda late."

"Okay, babe. Can't wait to see you."

"Same here. You two drive safe. Goodnight, future Mrs. Cheney," Bella teased.

"Don't say that too loudly, you might spook him."

"So, you still think he's popping the question this Christmas?"

"Is the sky blue? Come on, Iz, I've known this man since kindergarten."

"That's right, I beat him only by a few years out of diapers."

"Just barely. You get some rest, hon, and we'll see you Tuesday. Mwah."

"Right back at ya."

Bella hung up, remoted the volume on her iPod, turned the bed down and propped up against the pillows. She still wasn't ready to go to sleep. She'd wanted to talk to Angela more in depth about Edward. Particularly, to ask her advice on how to avoid being a point of contention between your boyfriend and his family, but how could she do so without discussing his otherness. The fact that he was a vampire wasn't information she could share with anyone, even her best friend.

~888~

Bella had just gotten off the phone with her parents, assuring them that she had a ride home from the airport, when she heard a soft knock at the door. An involuntary smile came to her face when she looked through the peephole and saw Edward standing there. She opened the door.

"Having trouble sleeping, too, Mr. Cullen?" she teased.

He looked so tortured, she felt immediate guilt. "What is it?"

"I owe you an apology, Isabella," he said. She motioned for him to come in, and he closed the door and entered, moving through the room like a large cat.

Bella sat on the sofa and curled her feet up and under her. "Let's hear what you think you need to apologize for Edward, because I'm clueless."

He made another pass in front of her.

"Could you stand still or something?" she said in playful annoyance. "Your pacing is giving me whiplash."

Edward stopped immediately. "I haven't told you everything I should about how I came to be this way, so you can make an informed decision."

Her brow crinkled. "An informed decision about what?"

"About becoming like me."

"Wait a minute. Who said I wanted to be like you?"

"I—well—."

Bella was fascinated. For the first time in the three weeks she'd known him, Edward was at a loss for words.

"I have thought about it, believe me. Please don't be offended, but I find the thought of drinking blood of the human or animal variety thoroughly repulsive. In fact, blood gives me the willies. I faint at the sight of a paper cut."

Edward barked out a laugh that surprised her. Bella giggled, but then grew concerned when he kept laughing.

"Why do you find what I just said so hysterical?" She walked over to him and began to massage his back as he continued to laugh.

"Alice's…" He laughed a little more. "Vision." He rested his hands on his knees and laughed again. "Wrong."

She tugged on his arm and he followed her to the sofa where she sat and pulled him down to sit next to her. His laughter subsided to a chuckle and finally a smile.

Bella squinted at him. "I'm waiting."

"Waiting? Oh, yes, I'm sorry…"

She huffed and folded her arms. "I'm not waiting for an apology as much as an explanation. Why did you think I wanted you to turn me into a vampire?"

"Alice believes that you will be one of us soon, and my family expected that I would change you because you're my mate, but I don't think it's necessary. Our sister coven, the Denali clan has human lovers all the time."

Bella blushed at the idea that someday she and Edward would be lovers, then scolded herself. _Focus__Swan._"Wouldn't it be easier for you if I were like you? You said the Volturi would not be happy that a human knew your secret."

"I don't want you to become a soul-less monster, Bella. The Volturi would never know about you unless they were told, and Alice can warn us if they were to ever find out. My family and I would protect you."

"I don't believe you're soul-less and you're definitely not a monster, but I don't want you and your family to be killed because of me. I'd let you change me first. "

"That's not going to happen," Edward said with a hard edge to his voice.

"On the other hand, I'd probably be the first vampire ever to starve to death due to my aversion to blood, but I could die before I get a new heart anyway."

"That's not going to happen either," Edward said, nostrils flaring. "Carlisle has been talking to a former colleague at Seattle Grace Hospital who is the best Cardio-Thoracic Surgeon in the Pacific Northwest."

"People die in surgery every day. I don't want to die, but it's possible. You've given me hope that surgical intervention can prolong my life given your father's connections, but if that doesn't happen, please don't take any extraordinary measures. My parents have my living will and I'd like for it to be honored."

"If those are your wishes," Edward said with reluctance. "But know that I will find a way to follow you in death if that should happen."

Bella shuddered. A pain took residence in her heart that she couldn't describe. "B-But you can't die."

"Not in the way a human would die, but I could be torn apart and burned. The Volturi guard would happily do it if I provoked them."

"Why would you do that?"

"The mating bond for vampires is strong. If you were to cease to exist, I would not want to, either."

Bella stood and began to pace, wringing her hands. "This is too much—too heavy for me to even comprehend right now."

Edward flitted to her and stilled her pacing. "I didn't mean to spring all of this on you at once, but I wanted to lay out all your options considering the visions Alice has had concerning your future."

"So her visions aren't certain?"

"She sees the course someone is on while they're on it, but if they change their mind, the vision changes."

Bella flushed, and probably would not have asked the question that was forming in her mind prior to her illness, but being near death made her devoid of a filter. "So, you could change your mind about me? If that's even a possibility, there is no need for us to go to the states together…"

"Bella…"

"… for you to meet my parents, for me to get their hopes up…"

Edward's fingers encircled her upper arms and held her still. "Bella, that won't happen. Once the mating bond occurs it is indelible. The depth of my feelings for you make it impossible for me to change my mind. You're my life now."

Bella was so relieved by his words; she burst into tears, threw her arms around his neck and buried her head in his chest.

"Shh," Edward soothed as he stroked her hair. "Please don't cry. You are my purpose, my raison d'être. If you can call this existence living. I can say without equivocation that life began in earnest for me when you entered it."

All of a sudden she was exhausted emotionally and physically. Her legs shook, but before she could wobble, she felt her feet leave the floor and she was cradled in Edward's cool embrace as he carried her to bed. He tucked her in, brushed her forehead with his lips, and turned to leave.

"Please stay," Bella murmured. He turned and walked slowly back toward the bed. She patted the spot beside her and he slid as close as he dared, and lay on top of the comforter. Bella laid her head on his chest, snuggled as close as she could, given the cloth barrier between them and yawned.

"I dream all the time that you watch over me while I sleep," she whispered and closed her eyes.

Just before she drifted off to sleep she heard him say, "Go to sleep, love. I'll be here to watch over you tonight and every night."

~888~

E/N: The setting of the story moves from Montreal next chapter back to the US and "sunny" Washington State. Edward is changing more than he believed he ever would, isn't he?

Looking forward to picking up where we left off and finishing this up quickly. Give me a nice welcome back gift and hit the review button!


	7. Chapter 6 Yuletide Canticle

**A/N: Thanks to Shug (SSHG316) who beta'd the original version of this story and a special thanks to Songster51 for beta'ing this revision.**

**The first story of my very short fiction (under 1000 words), or flash fiction as it is commonly called will debut in Apollo's Lyre magazine online. I'll provide the link when I respond to your reviews, if you're interested. **

**YULETIDE CANTICLE**

_**Chapter 6, Return to Washington State**_

The Cullens settled simultaneously in Seattle while Edward would celebrate Christmas in Forks with Bella and her family. On the drive over to Forks from Seattle, Edward assured her his family would travel to Forks after Christmas to meet her and her parents and celebrate New Year's Eve at their home north of town. Edward would spend his first day in Forks opening the Cullen house and cleaning it sufficiently for him to inhabit until his family arrived.

Bella learned through Edward that Esme was to interior decoration as Alice was to fashion, but they complemented each other well in their tastes and their penchant for the latest fashion trends. Apparently Rosalie did not do domestic, she just did Rosalie, Emmett… and cars. Edward also warned her that of the three Cullen women, Rosalie would likely be the least tolerant of his choice of mate. Of all the Cullen family, she was the most unhappy with what they were. Bella was determined to get to the bottom of that, should Edward's concerns be proven. Her priority now was getting her father to relax and accept Edward.

Bella introduced Edward to her parents, who came out to greet them almost as soon as rental car pulled up to the curb. Edward charmed her mother immediately with his genteel good manners and his movie-star good looks. Charlie regarded Edward with a look that Bella could only categorize as suspicion and took Bella's heaviest suitcase from Edward's hand and carried it into the house. Renee smiled and fawned over Edward like he was royalty, offering food, drink, and even Charlie's La-Z-Boy, but Edward chose to occupy the sofa with Bella.

Renee perched on an armchair and couldn't wait to begin the inquisition. "So, where did you two meet?" she asked with a wide, happy smile.

"We ran into one another while Christmas shopping," Bella said, as Edward smiled and took her hand in his. "We were both shopping for our mothers."

"But we met early in the semester on campus and hung out together quite a bit with other exchange students," Edward embellished. "We've been going out ever since we literally collided earlier this month. Once we discovered how much we had in common, and that we were returning to UW together in the spring, all the things that could have been complications sort of worked themselves out."

"That's lovely," Renee said.

Charlie narrowed his eyes as he addressed Edward. "I guess that explains why Bella never talked about you before." The quintessential law enforcement officer, Charlie was distrustful by default. A man of few words, Charlie's modus operandi was to reserve judgment about people until he had time to observe them a while, especially males interested in his daughter. This was compounded by the seriousness of her medical condition.

"This is why I wanted to come and meet you straight-away over the holidays. We've been busy getting to know one another better for the past several weeks," Edward said.

"Mmhmm," Charlie grunted.

Bella breathed a heavy sigh. "Dad..." Her admonishment of him was so plaintive, Charlie immediately relented.

"So how long has your family lived in Seattle?"

"They just returned to the area," Edward said smoothly. "My father was on staff at a hospital in Fairbanks."

"Is that right?"

"But they've always wanted to return to the lower forty-eight, so they felt it was a great time to do so, since I'll be graduating in May."

"So, you and Bella will be graduating together, that's great," Renee said. But what her parents didn't know is that Edward would opt not to walk at graduation, because he would not be known by any of his fellow pre-med students.

Bella was so glad the Cullens had the means to create a paper trail that would satisfy Charlie's curiosity. On the flight over from Montreal, Edward and Alice briefed her on the particulars of Edward's matriculation at both McGill and UW, which they found easier to do than fabricating a past for the whole family. They chose to tell the truth about the rest of the family's whereabouts prior to their recent relocation. Now, if Charlie had the inclination to snoop around, he would find that Edward had been in Montreal the previous semester, his family was indeed in Alaska, and compliments of Jasper and a Mr. Jenks, Edward had been enrolled at UW for three years and also had been at McGill on exchange during Bella's semester there.

A bit of subterfuge was necessary, considering how fast their relationship was progressing, and the minute detail that her boyfriend and his family weren't even human. Edward and his family would go to any lengths to make sure her parents were protected from that knowledge.

"Mom, do you want me to help you with dinner?" Bella asked, hoping to grant Edward a reprieve from the Q&A.

"Oh, I'm not cooking tonight. You know we always go to the reservation on Christmas Eve to celebrate the holiday with Billy, Jake and the girls."

"That's right," Bella said. "How could I forget?"

"You know Billy and Jake would love to see you, Bells," Charlie said, then added with a sly grin, "Especially Jake."

"Billy is my dad's best friend," Bella explained for Edward's benefit. "His son Jake and I were close in age and good friends when I was in _middle school_." She cut her eyes sharply at her dad. Bella couldn't believe he was using Jake to try and deflect romantic interest in her, when Jake had pretty much kicked her to the curb when she was interested.

Renee clarified further so Edward wouldn't get the wrong idea. "They go so far back, Jake and Bella made mud pies together. He was dating Leah Clearwater, Harry's daughter, last I heard." Bella could have kissed her mom.

"So what do you say, Edward? Care to join us at our friends' party on the Quileute reservation?" Charlie asked, taking on the persona of a gracious host.

Edward begged off, "I still have quite a bit to do to get the house ready for my family, and I was hoping Bella would keep me company while I'm working."

"That's no way to spend the holiday. You have until New Year's Eve to get all that work done," Charlie said. "Heck, Renee and I will come out and help after Christmas."

"I wouldn't impose on you in that way. I would hire a cleaning crew first. To be honest, I wanted Bella to come out so I can give her our Christmas presents." Edward was so charming, Renee was pulled in immediately.

"That's so romantic," Renee gushed. "You two go ahead and have fun. You can see your friends at the reservation some other time."

Bella and Edward left when her parents did. Always thinking of her first, Edward stopped in town at the diner to order some food for Bella for later. On the ride over, she felt compelled to apologize for her father's behavior.

"Edward, my dad is very...protective of me. I'm sure his reaction to you isn't personal."

"I would have been disappointed had he not been fairly confrontational considering what I am. However, I'm concerned that he doesn't mind exposing you to the Quileutes so readily."

"Why is that? The Quileutes have been friendly with my dad since before I was born."

"Let's just say, our family is not the only one with secrets."

"You may as well tell me theirs. I already know yours."

After a brief hesitation, Edward answered. "Years ago when we lived here, Ephraim Black, Billy Black's grandfather made a treaty with us, of sorts. They promised not to hunt us because we convinced them that we wouldn't hunt other humans in the vicinity."

"What? They'd hunt you guys with guns, or something? How barbaric!"

Edward gripped the steering wheel. Bella didn't often see him nervous, but clearly he was now. "Nothing like that. Our proximity to them made their young warriors change into powerful creatures that don't need guns to hunt us, believe me."

"I heard some of their legends growing up. Jake told me that many of their elders believed they were descendent of wolves. So, werewolves exist, too?" Her eyes grew wide at the very implication.

"Not in the way that is glamorized in literature and American television," he said. "The Quileutes and a few other tribes around the world are shape-shifters who exist to limit the proliferation of our kind. Now that we will be back in the area, Carlisle will need to renew our treaty with them."

"So my family's oldest friends are your enemies?"

"We are natural enemies, but the Quileutes and my family are allies, if you define the term loosely. We aided them in keeping nomadic vampires out of the region when we lived here before."

"I understand why you didn't want to go there tonight, then. Will you and your family contact them before the party?"

"At some point. I'm operating on the assumption that the treaty forged long ago is still intact. As long as I don't hunt game on their lands, or humans in the surrounding areas, I should be good."

Bella hoped that was the case. Jacob could be hot-headed and she didn't want to think what his reaction might be to her seriously dating a vampire. That remained to be tackled on another day. She was too happy to dwell on 'what ifs' at the moment.

~888~

Bella's Christmas gift from Edward was an exquisite set of diamond and emerald jewelry. She chastised him because she knew it was probably very expensive, but he assured her he hadn't spent any money on the jewels.

"They were my mother's," he explained. "And she would be pleased that I have found someone worthy of them."

"Then, I would be honored to accept them," she conceded with a sheepish smile. "Thank you, Edward." Knowing the origin of the jewelry, she felt bad complaining about the gift. Besides, her life was too short to quibble over baubles.

Edward was not discouraged by her near-refusal of his gift, or he didn't show it. He then proceeded to give her gifts from the rest of his family, which included three more ensembles from Alice, one of which she'd labeled Bella's New year's Eve outfit, with a post script that said, "You'll want to wear the emerald and diamond earrings with this." It was a green cocktail dress with adjustable spaghetti straps attached to a rich beadwork textured bodice over a skirt of sheer, layered chiffon.

Bella had the best Christmas vacation she'd had since she was a little girl. Edward squired her around town to meet up with those of her high school classmates who were in town for the holidays. For the first time ever, she had a boyfriend and wasn't the odd girl out. Bella was glad she'd already told Angela about Edward, because Angela thwarted Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory's plans to be the first to flirt with the gorgeous man driving Bella Swan around town.

Angela dished the details grinning like an imp. "Lauren says to Jessica, 'I'll bet he's a relative or something. He couldn't possibly be her boyfriend. He's too good looking,' and then I leaned around the booth, settled their squabble and dashed their hopes all at once, and said, 'the guy you're speaking of _is_ Bella's boyfriend, Edward Cullen. They met during her exchange semester at McGill, and from what I understand it's serious.' You should've seen their faces, Bella."

Using his gift to read minds, Edward played along, too, whenever they were around. He was attentive as always, but when he heard less than flattering thoughts from them, he amped up the PDA with Bella. Jessica and Lauren quaked with jealousy, even though Jessica was technically with Mike Newton and Lauren was with Tyler Crowley.

In the whirlwind that was Edward Cullen, Bella felt as if she'd known him for years rather than weeks. Since Edward didn't sleep and was as protective as Charlie, when her parents retired each night, Edward scaled the wall and joined her in her room. Charlie would've had a cow if he discovered Edward there, despite the fact that she was twenty-one, but her vampire boyfriend was stealthy, and careful to leave before her parents stirred in the mornings.

Before she knew it, it was New Year's Eve, and she was getting dressed for the Cullen party. There was a knock on her door as she put the final touches on her hair and makeup.

"Come in," Bella called.

Renee peeked in. "Almost ready?" Then her eyes bulged, and she slipped in and closed the door.

"Who are you and what have you done with my Bella? Honey, you look so beautiful! Is this new? It looks expensive."

Bella figured she might as well level with her mother. "Everything I'm wearing is a Christmas gift from the Cullens."

"That's some convincing looking costume jewelry."

"Actually, this jewelry belonged to Edward's mother."

Renee gasped, and her eyes widened. "So, your boyfriend's family is loaded. Have you thought about what this all means?"

"I have, Mom. Edward knows about my condition and he still wants to be with me, which is huge, and he and his family are lavishing me with gifts that I'm not especially comfortable with. But in the grand scheme of things, they're only things. Doing what he does for me makes him happy, so I let him."

Renee's eyes moistened. "You love each other, baby. I can tell."

"Oh, Mom," Bella moved in and gave Renee a hug. "You're going to ruin your mascara."

Bella supposed the whole vampire mating thing was a stronger form of love. She certainly had strong feelings for Edward in a short amount of time, and he was making declarations about what was his was hers. Was she in love? She hadn't said the actual words, yet, but she hoped her mother was right.

~888~

On New Year's Eve, Charlie drove them out to the Cullen house for the party. As police chief, he knew every highway, street, and back road in the county, so he knew exactly where the house was. As they pulled off the road onto the long winding entry to the Cullen estate, Bella was intrigued to see the trees on both sides of the drive illuminated with thousands of white lights.

Edward answered the door, embraced Bella, kissed Renee on the cheek, and shook Charlie's hand. He ushered them into the living room to meet his family. The couples were paired, so it wasn't hard for Bella to figure out who they all were from Edward's descriptions, and of course, she already knew Alice. He took them to his parents first.

"Bella, Chief, Mrs. Swan, allow me to introduce you to my parents, Carlisle and Esme Cullen."

Esme smiled and greeted her warmly with a hug. "Bella, I'm so happy to meet you," she said, her chin quivering as if she might cry. "You have brought my son to life, and I'm so grateful to you for that."

Edward smiled an indulgent smile and struggled not to roll his eyes.

"I'm happy to finally meet you, too, Mrs. Cullen," Bella said. "Edward saved my life when we first met, so I believe we're even, now."

"Please, call me Esme, dear," she implored.

While Esme greeted Renee and Charlie next, Edward placed his hand in the small of Bella's back and maneuvered them to Carlisle, who bowed like a gentleman of old and kissed her hand.

"Carlisle Cullen, at your service." He held her hand a beat longer, a beatific smile on his face and in his eyes. "Bella, you are the hope I've had for my son since he was born."

This time, Edward did not contain the eye-roll.

Bella couldn't help herself, Carlisle was so kind and fatherly, despite his regal good looks, she had to give him a hug.

"I'm sure that most of what I love about Edward is a reflection of your influence in his life."

"I'll take that as a compliment. It warms my heart to know that my son has listened to me over the years."

While Bella's parents greeted Carlisle and Esme, Edward took her hand to introduce her next to the couple who could only be Rosalie and Emmett. Rosalie was the most gorgeous blonde she had ever seen, and Emmett was enormous, tall and muscular, with the physique of a professional bodybuilder, and was a pale brunette.

"Bella, this is Rosalie and Emmett," Edward said, gesturing toward his siblings. "Em, Rose, this is my Bella."

"Bella," Rosalie said with a nod and small smile. Emmett wasn't reticent at all, he stepped forward and enclosed her in a bear hug, but despite his size he didn't hurt her. Edward knew Emmett would be demonstrative, but was so alarmed by Emmett's blatant familiarity with Bella, if vampires could have heart attacks, he would have been a prime candidate for one at that moment.

"So glad to meet you, Bella," Emmett said. Catching Edward's eye, he added, "I'm not gonna break her, little brother."

"Em, just be careful. Bella's heart… is fragile," Edward admonished.

"It's all right, Edward." Bella giggled. "Good to finally meet you, Emmett… and Rosalie. I look forward to getting to know both of you better."

As her father chatted with Emmett about sports teams, they moved on to Alice and Jasper, but Alice couldn't wait for them to make it to her. She skipped over to Bella and clasped her in a hug, rocking her from side to side.

"How I've missed you this week. I can't wait for you to get to Seattle so we can go shopping for clothes this semester."

"Alice, Bella's not your personal Barbie Doll to dress at your whim," Edward scolded. "Only if she wants to go."

"Gee, my little brother has become very possessive since Montreal," Alice said, her eyes narrowed.

"I'll go, if you let me make a few choices, and we limit it to one hour," Bella agreed with a grin.

"Oh, yay!" Alice said, clapping her hands like an exuberant toddler. She then extended her had to Jasper. "Jazz, baby, come and meet, Bella."

Jasper hesitated before moving from the corner, where he looked like he was in pain. "It'll be fine," she assured him. Only then did Jasper move to within five feet of Bella to greet her.

"Pleased to meet you, Bella," he drawled. "I'm Jasper."

"Jasper, Alice spoke about you so often in Montreal, I feel like I already know you." Bella advanced to shake his hand, but he retreated a few steps.

Edward whispered a hurried explanation. "Like me, Jasper has a hard time being around humans sometimes." He smiled at his brother. "He likes to err on the side of caution. I'll tell your parents that he's germophobic, so they don't get too close."

Esme and her family had prepared gourmet Italian for the dinner meal. Apparently, they never did anything on a small scale. There was enough food to feed at least twenty-five people. Although none of the Cullens could digest human food, they moved the food around on their plates and ingested tiny morsels for show.

They moved into the living room again after dinner, where Esme requested Edward play for them. He seated himself on the piano bench and gestured for Bella to join him. Esme and Renee murmured and tittered about how sweet that was. Edward played three pieces, all with Bella by his side.

At a quarter 'til midnight, the Cullen hostesses served Champagne to everyone, and they toasted the approaching New Year. As the clock struck midnight and the song "Auld Lang Syne" wafted through the sound system, the five couples present shared kisses to herald the arrival of the New Year.

~888~

Renee and Charlie invited Edward over for dinner a few days before Bella would be leaving for Seattle. Edward was honored and challenged by the invitation, but Bella had known from her father's demeanor that this would not be a purely social occasion. They enjoyed Renee's Swedish meatballs for dinner, and Bella silently commiserated with Edward as he choked down a sizeable portion of human food. He had to keep up appearances with her folks, but Bella was touched to find out later that he really didn't want to hurt Renee's feelings by not eating any of her food.

When the meal was consumed, they sat in the living room and talked. Conversation began easy and light. Renee and Charlie plied Edward with questions that he happily answered, mainly about places he and his family had lived before and his plans for the future. Edward explained that because his father was a top-notch physician, his skills and expertise were sought around the world, and his father rarely turned down an opportunity to share his skills with others who desired to learn his techniques. Edward told them what they had agreed to tell her parents about his future. He was finishing up his final semester at UW, as well, and had applied to several medical schools around the country.

Charlie had been mulling over something all night, and Bella could see it in the deliberate way he chewed on the edges of his mustache, all the while regarding Edward like he was arrested, guilty, and about to be interrogated until he broke. He finally got what he'd wanted to say to Edward right in his head and fired away.

"You do realize, Edward, that Bella may not be well enough to go traipsing off to God knows where when you get accepted to some fancy Ivy League medical school later this year. The odds are not in her favor that she'll get a transplant. Have you thought about that clearly? Most young men in your position would run like a scalded dog if they found out the girl they were dating had a possible terminal illness. Convince me that you're with my little girl for the long haul, because her heart can't take anymore disappointments," Charlie said, almost angrily.

He was on the edge of his armchair, and a fat tear escaped from one eye, which he pushed away with his huge knuckles. Undoubtedly, his reference was to the summer divorce debacle which had changed their lives forever. Bella looked at Renee, whose eyes were glassy with tears, and then all their eyes went to Edward as he looked Charlie straight in his eyes and addressed him with emotional intensity.

"Chief Swan," Edward said, "Before Bella, I was an empty shell of a man. By anyone's standards, I have everything a person could ever dream of , and those things that I don't possess, I simply don't want. There has never been a woman I have wanted to share my life with until Bella. Believe me, I have agonized over her health issues, and not because I desired a way out of the relationship, but because I've been trying to figure out ways to make her well again.

"My father has pledged, as have I, to do everything we can to prolong Bella's life until a transplant can be secured. My family has relocated to Seattle, and we will all support Bella at UW this semester until a match is found. Since the day I realized that she was my destiny, I have not entertained any other scenario except the one where we share a long, happy life together." He choked out his final words on what sounded like a sob. There wasn't a dry human eye in the room when he finished.

Bella knew that she loved Edward at that moment. Her parents were not privy to just how old he really was, but for him to admit to her and her parents that he had never wanted to share his life with another woman in all of his one hundred eight years absolutely floored her. Locking her tear-filled eyes with his, Bella took his hand and leaned into him where they sat together on the sofa of her childhood home. Edward bowed his head and kissed the tears from her cheeks. She didn't care that her parents were in the room, and maybe they should have been alone when she first said it, but she simply couldn't help herself.

"I love you, Edward Cullen."

"And I you, Isabella Swan. And I you."

As she looked into his golden eyes, she knew that if vampires could cry, he would be shedding tears, too.

~888~

**E/N: Things are certainly looking up for Bella, aren't they? Edward has quickly become besotted with his **_**fragile little human**_**, hasn't he?**

**A review would be considered an early Christmas gift for me and wouldn't cost you a thing. **


	8. Chapter 7 Yuletide Canticle

**_A/N:_Thanks to Shug (SSHG316) who beta'd the original version of this story and a special thanks to Songster51 for beta'ing this revision. This is the last update until after Christmas. Here's wishing all my readers and friends a joyous holiday season!**

_**Chapter 7**_

About fifteen minutes after midnight, Bella's cell phone buzzed. She might have left it to go to voicemail, but it was Angela. Ben had not proposed at Christmas as she'd hoped and she'd been devastated over that turn of events, to say the least. Bella had done everything she could to be a supportive friend, but it had proven to be difficult given her own family obligations and recent relationship status.

Bella clutched her phone and leaned in to Edward where they sat on the loveseat. "I should take this."

He raised one eyebrow. "Angela?"

"Yes," she said with an apologetic frown. "I'll just be a few minutes."

"Take all the time you need," he said with a gentle caress of her cheek. "Angela needs you." Edward liked Angela best of all her female classmates. Through her thoughts he'd determined what a genuine friend she was to Bella, which immediately endeared Angela to him. Edward smiled, stood, and gave Bella a hand up.

When she stood to exit, all the Cullen men stood, prompting Charlie to do the same. Bella felt like she'd been transported into some Victorian era novel. Her parents brandished nervous smiles, but then were drawn back into conversation with Carlisle and Esme.

She answered the call as the classical music from the Cullen family room faded into the background and she found her way to the powder room in the foyer. She made her voice upbeat, hoping to cheer up her friend. "Happy New Year, Ange!"

"Arghhhhhhhhhh!"

Bella almost dropped her phone. She had not been prepared for Angela's high-pitched scream.

"Are you okay—?

"Bella! Bella!"

"What?"

"Guess what I'm wearing?"

Bella's brow furrowed. Had Angela become an Alice clone? "Uh…A cocktail dress?"

"No, silly. On my hand—"

"Oh, Ben proposed tonight?"

"Yes! Oh, Bella it's sooo beautiful."

Bella giggled and sighed in relief all at once. "And, you thought he was just taking you to some crazy New Year's Eve party at the top of the Space Needle. See, I told you not to worry."

"And you were right. My prediction had taken away the element of surprise, and he wanted it to be special. I'm glad he didn't do it at Christmas now. This was way better."

"Congratulations to the both of you."

"Thanks, Iz. Hey, I'd better get back out there to my fiancé. I'm gonna text you a pic of my ring, okay? I'll show it to you in person tomorrow."

"Okay, text away."

~888~

On New Year's Day Bella spent some time at the Cullen's home getting to know them better. Carlisle and Esme were gracious hosts and went overboard in their quest to make Bella feel welcome. They offered her more food than she could consume in two days.

Edward finally told them, "Bella will eat when she's hungry."

"Forgive us, Bella," Carlisle said. "You've given us an excuse to use the new kitchen."

Esme gave her an interesting tour of the house. Bella found that vampire minds were encyclopedic in nature. Once they learned something, they never forgot it, and it made for a thorough discussion on any subject. This intrigued her from an academic standpoint. She thought of all the knowledge she could accumulate about the French language and literature above and beyond what she had learned in her three and a half years in college. The possibilities were endless. Then she remembered how she would be required to sustain herself were she a vampire and cringed. Esme mistook her shiver as a reaction to the painting she described to her, which was a rather gruesome depiction of a Salem witch trial.

Esme's eyes held concern. "It wouldn't hurt my feelings if you didn't want to hear all of this, Bella."

"No, it's been very interesting hearing the history behind the art you have here in the house. I was just thinking about—something else."

"Edward has assured us you aren't frightened by what we are, but I know our world has to be somewhat overwhelming for you."

"Really, it's not. I grew up reading fairy tales, and I've always been fascinated with mythology. It's…" Bella moved closer to Esme and whispered, mindful that keen vampire ears might be listening. "May I ask you a personal question? I would ask Alice, but she's been so preoccupied with Jasper since we've been back in the states."

"Why of course. You may ask me anything." Esme gestured down the hall. "Come, let's go into Carlisle's office; it's the one room in the house that comes closest to being soundproof to vampire ears."

Esme angled the armchairs facing Carlisle's desk so they were able to converse comfortably.

"What would you like to know?" Esme asked as they sat down.

"When you became a vampire was it difficult for you to consume b-blood? How did you get used to it?"

Esme leveled a serious maternal look at her. "Once the change happens, it's not a matter of you getting used to it. It's all-consuming in its intensity. The thirst for blood is stronger than anything else we think or feel, especially when we are newborn. You learn to control it for extended periods of time, eventually."

"So, I would essentially be a blood-craving lunatic for a while, and finishing college right now would be impossible."

"Yes. You would need to stay away from densely populated areas in the first year or so. It's helpful not to be tempted with human scents until you've learned to control your thirst."

"I don't have a frame of reference for blood thirst, but I do have a frame of reference for being a blood wimp." Bella shivered again just saying the words.

Esme smiled, her eyes soft. "We'll ask Carlisle about it. He could give you a more definitive answer. Have you discussed your fears with Edward?"

"Yes, but he seemed to be relieved I didn't have an overwhelming desire to become a vampire right away."

"I'm not surprised," Esme said. "He and Carlisle have had this ongoing debate about the loss of the human soul upon becoming a vampire. Because he cares for you, he likely doesn't want you to experience the pain of the change, either."

"That's all very thoughtful of him, but I think I'd like a say in what happens to my body. I've been weak and sick for so long; I'd like some time in a healthy body before I commit to becoming a vampire, and I really don't want to leave Renee and Charlie, yet. They've sacrificed so much for me and I'd like to remain their human daughter for a while, and finish college, maybe go to graduate school. If I allow myself to be changed now, it'll be like they're losing me to death anyway, because they won't be able to see me again. If I survive the surgery, they'll get to see me all the time, at least for a few years."

"I see you've given this a lot of thought. I'll go out on a limb here and say, keeping yourself fed won't be a problem once you're changed. However, if you want to stay human for a few more years and experience all the milestones you wish to accomplish, I say do it."

"And it wouldn't cause problems for your family with the Vultures?"

Esme laughed. "You mean the Volturi?"

"Yeah, those predatory royals you guys have to answer to."

"I've never had the—pleasure —of meeting them, but we've been contacted by members of their guard from time to time. It could be a decade before they contact us again, so you need not worry. Because you are Edward's mate, you are part of our family, and we protect our family."

Bella smiled. "I'm beginning to see that."

Esme answered all the questions she had and then some about becoming a vampire. She decided she would talk to Carlisle about how her medical condition might affect her during the change, which would give her more than enough information to make an informed decision.

When the Cullen men returned from their meeting with Billy Black and the Quileute elders, the Cullens all sat around the table with her as she ate her dinner and debriefed the family on the new treaty.

"Billy was gracious to us," Carlisle said. "He said they would always welcome the _cold__ones__w_ho helped them to keep their territory safe."

"This is good, right?" Bella asked, then took a sip of water.

"But he was not happy to know that the daughter of his best friend was in a serious relationship with one of our kind," Edward said with an apologetic frown.

Anger coiled in her gut. "He'll just have to get over it," Bella said, setting the glass back on the table with such force it splashed on the tablecloth. "The Quileutes don't get to choose who I love."

Edward slipped a hand under the curtain of her hair to calm her.

"Looks like you've got a 'Bad Ass' mate little bro," Emmett said.

"Babe," Rosalie mock-scolded.

"Just saying," Emmett said. "She's kinda like you in that respect." Rosalie smiled at Bella and gave her mate a peck on the cheek.

"Sorry about water-staining your beautiful table cloth, Esme," Bella said even as she grinned at Emmett and Rosalie.

Esme waved her off. "This old thing? Nothing a good washing and pressing can't fix."

"The Quileute elders have tied our hands on the issue of your change, Bella," Carlisle said. "The wolfpack would rescind the treaty and attack if you're bitten by one of us, which means we would have to leave the country immediately if it came down to us turning you."

"What if it's what I want?"

"Is it?" Edward was anxious. "I didn't think you'd made a decision about that yet."

She locked eyes with him. "If it looked like I wasn't going to make it through the surgery, I would want Carlisle to save me like he did you for your mother."

Edward swallowed hard. Bella could tell he was not particularly thrilled with her sudden pronouncement, but she would talk it over with him later.

"Alice," Bella asked. "What do you see? Will I survive the surgery?"

Alice concentrated. "Um…there's something clouding my vision," Alice said. "I'm sorry, Bella."

"The wolfpack has probably set up a perimeter patrol," Jasper said. "You've always had difficulty with your visions when they're around."

"I could talk to Jacob," Bella said. "He might be able to convince the Quileute elders to back off on the new treaty stipulation."

"It's really not safe for you to be around shape shifters," Edward said. "They have so little control."

"Edward, I've known Jacob all my life. He wouldn't hurt me."

"I'm not so sure he would be able to control himself. I read Billy's mind. His son still holds a torch for you, so he wasn't going to tell him about us."

Bella could believe that. Jake had always been a hot head. Now she understood why he'd pushed her away when they were in high school, but she realized what she'd felt for Jacob paled in comparison to her feelings for Edward.

"I just hate the idea of doing nothing," she said softly. "I won't talk to Jacob, because it would make matters worse. I see that now."

They were in Edward's car in her parents' driveway, she reeling from his devastating goodnight kiss, when he broached the subject of her change again.

"Bella, I love you too much to subject you to the agony of the change. I don't want you to lose your soul and become a monster like me," he said.

She could see the pain in his eyes, but she wasn't convinced what he believed was true.

"You know the consequences all too well, I'm sure of it. I could die and go to heaven at any moment, but it wouldn't be heaven for me without you. I'd live as a soul-less predatory monster if I could do it with you, forever."

Edward's laugh was part growl and part sob, then he kissed her again. It took all the willpower she had and Edward's insistence for her to leave the car that night, and he didn't join her in her room later. He did, however, call to tell her it wasn't safe for them to be in the same room overnight, and he would patrol outside the house as she slept.

~888~

The day before they were to move to Seattle, Bella and Edward said goodbye to Ben and Angela who were headed back to Stanford for their final semester.

Bella leaned into the car on Angela's side while Edward and Ben chatted on the driver's side of vehicle.

"So, I'm expecting you to be my maid of honor," Angela said.

Bella's face split into a goofy grin, and she hugged her friend through the window. "Gee, thanks, Ange."

"Who else would I choose, bestie? Anywho, we have a little while before we need to do anything. I can't even think about planning the wedding until after graduation."

"I hear you," Bella said. "That's going to be quite time-consuming."

Bella wondered if she'd even be alive for Angela's wedding. Carlisle had told her sometimes even venom couldn't overcome certain conditions. He surmised that her weakened heart muscle might not be strong enough to go through the change, but if it was, her transformation would take much longer than the average three days.

Angela squeezed Bella's hand and her eyes misted a bit. "You keep me informed about the surgery, okay? Ben and I will come back for it."

"You don't have to do that," Bella protested.

"Yes, we do," Angela insisted. She turned to the other side of the car. "Edward!"

Edward poked his head into the window from Ben's side of the car. "Yes?"

"Call us when the surgery is scheduled, okay? I can't depend on this one to do it."

"You've got it," Edward said with smile.

When Ben and Angela hit the road, they drove to Forks Hospital where Carlisle retrieved a copy of Bella's medical chart and performed a preliminary evaluation of her heart using the facilities courtesy of Dr. Gerundy. Dr. Gerundy was pleased to see that Bella was still well, all things considered. After Dr. Gerundy left, Carlisle briefed Bella and Edward on her condition and the probable treatment they would be seeking for her at Seattle Grace.

"Bella has a marked vascular murmur which is a result of stenoses, or severe narrowing of her heart valves. Sometimes this is experienced in other heart conditions, but the rheumatic fever damaged all four of her valves to some degree, which makes it tricky to do a simple valve replacement, because the heart muscle is so degraded," Carlisle said gravely. "It might even be difficult for a heart in this shape to endure the change, because it literally isn't strong enough to move the venom through her limbs.

"Dr. Burke, the Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Seattle Grace will be able to determine the extent of the damage more fully after his examination. And he should be able to let us know fairly soon after if Bella is a candidate for his high-risk valve replacement surgery. He has achieved results in multiple-valve replacements that his peers are afraid to touch."

Edward smiled at Bella to reassure her, and then posed a question. "How successful has he been with these high-risk replacements? Give us a percentage."

"Ninety-percent and a few of these were more serious than Bella's condition. Dr. Webber, Burke's Chief of Surgery assures me this physician is the number one cardiothoracic man in the nation. Everything I've read convinces me he's right. What he's achieved as a human physician is remarkable."

"So these valves would make a transplant unnecessary?" Bella asked.

"Yes," Carlisle said. "Essentially, they would correct the blood flow problems. Then, the cardiac stem cells which harvested from your heart for the transplant would be used to reduce scarring and strengthen the muscles surrounding the valves, thus strengthening your heart."

Encouraged, Bella smiled. "How long would it take for me to recuperate?"

"After the incision heals in about eight weeks, you would begin a regular regimen of drug intervention and cardiovascular exercise to strengthen your heart further," Carlisle said.

"The condo in Seattle will have a state of the art gym for your personal use," Edward said with a grin.

Bella's eyes misted. "Thank you, Edward, Dr. Cullen—"

"Carlisle," he said with a warm smile.

"Carlisle, thanks for everything."

"Of course Dr. Burke will make the final determination whether you're truly a candidate for the surgery, but from everything I've studied, the odds are in your favor."

"That's great," Bella said. "Sounds so much better at the moment than me writhing in pain for several days and then a year or so of blood lust until I learn to control my thirst."

"Bella…" Edward began, but Bella placed her fingers on his lips.

"Edward, I understand your misgivings, but I'm going to become a vampire someday. There is no way I'm going to grow old and die when we could have forever together like your parents and siblings."

Carlisle slipped out as they began the argument they'd been having since Bella's heart-to-heart with Esme. While the Cullens had been in Forks, she'd interacted with the three Cullen couples enough to see that what they had was special. She wanted that with Edward, without him thirsting for her blood, without him having to worry she could be harmed or killed, and without him having to guard her like a personal bodyguard all the time.

"You could wait a couple of decades or more, and then decide." Edward said.

"And have me look forty-three while you're still twenty-three? No thanks!"

"Is it all superficial to you? I will love you no matter how old you look."

"I will not be relegated to becoming a vampire cougar."

"Well, five years. Can't you wait five years?"

"I'll be finished with my Masters in two years. That will give me plenty of time to say goodbye to my parents and then I'll be ready."

"What about your blood aversion?"

Bella cringed, but forged on. "Carlisle has promised to help me overcome it, and he's 99.9% sure the bloodlust will handle the rest."

"Is there anything I can say that will change your mind?" he implored.

Bella leaned in and kissed his cool lips. He was unresponsive only for a couple of seconds and then she felt his soft, cool tongue seek out her warm one, and for the time being the argument was forgotten.

~888~

Seattle was a beautiful city on the bay with views of majestic snowcapped mountains, and the crystalline waters of Puget Sound lapped gently against its shores. It was a city of infrequent blue sunny skies and copious grey skies pregnant with rain. The constant smell of the sea lingered in the air. Bella would come to know it as her personal Emerald City where she would petition the great and powerful Oz of her prayers for dreams she'd never known she had to come true.

Charlie was a little upset when Edward had shown up to drive her back to UW. Bella'd discussed it with Renee who helped her pack up her room. She had even gone to the lengths of confiding in her mother that she would be living with Edward for all intents and purposes for the semester.

"Be safe, sweetie," her mother warned. "Do we need to make a trip the drug store before you leave? Edward seems responsible, but..."

"Mom!" Bella admonished.

Her mother looked both matter-of-fact, and like she was about to burst into tears. "I-I only say this because a pregnancy would complicate your medical condition."

"You really don't have to worry about that—yet," Bella said. "Edward is extremely—old school.

"Oh," Renee said, and flashed a relieved smile.

Bella knew they were both clearly not the types to live together outside of marriage given normal circumstances. Perhaps it was just the fact that she was so sick and they wanted to spend as much time as they could together until her fate was known. Since Edward had told her he watched her sleep most nights, she didn't see a need for them to live separately in Seattle. He would just beat a trail to her dorm room every morning to take her to class and every night to watch her sleep, anyway.

It was on a crisp, cold Sunday afternoon that they arrived at their new condo near UW. Bella wasn't surprised to find it was already furnished and Edward's things from Montreal were all unpacked. He did all the heavy lifting for her and had her meager belongings unpacked and put away in a matter of minutes. It was a thing of beauty to watch him flit around in vampire speed. It took him a fraction of the time it took her to do such mundane things. She laughed when Edward opened the case with her underwear and toiletries in it and realized he'd picked up a lacy bra and panty set. With a profuse apology, he closed it so fast his hands blurred, and left it for her to unpack at her leisure.

She went to him, slid her arms around his waist and laid her head on his stone chest. His arms went around her shoulders, and he held her gingerly in his arms. "Is my big strong vampire afraid of the wee little lingerie?" she teased.

"Not afraid-just taken by surprise." He might have blushed if he had blood in his veins.

"If that surprises you, wait 'til you see me in them," she said, pushing things just a little bit further.

"Bellaaa…" he groaned.

"Okay, Mr. Prim and Proper, I'll stop." Bella gave him a peck on the cheek and turned back to her suitcase on the bed, opened it and put the last of her things away. She knew he was tentative around her still. He held back whenever they kissed. She had to get to the bottom of it.

"I know it's still difficult for you to be around me." After she put another stack of lingerie away, she paused in front of the dresser to look in his eyes. "Does my body not hold any appeal for you?"

"I may be a vampire, but I am very much a man. Rest assured, I want you in all the ways that a man desires a woman."

She smiled a wide beaming smile. "Then someday, we can be together in that way, eventually—right?"

He moved close to her again and took her into his arms. "Your blood still calls to me like a siren's song, but I resist because I love you more than the lust I have for your blood. I want us to experience everything that people in love experience, but we need to get you healthy first. Even then, we would have to proceed—cautiously ."

"I hate that you have to be in pain to be near me. Maybe I should have just moved into the dorm," she said with a small frown.

Edward kissed away her agitation with his cool lips. "The closer you are, the more quickly I can become desensitized to your blood."

"Then I hope you'll become _very_ desensitized _very_ soon. I don't want to die a virgin."

"You're not going to die—not this year—and, if I have anything to do with it, never from rheumatic heart disease," he said. "We have an appointment with Carlisle and Dr. Burke tomorrow afternoon. With a successful procedure, we could both rid ourselves of this pesky little virginity thing within the year."

~888~

Edward sat in a corner of Bella's room as she slept, listening to her heartbeat, noting the lilting stutter it contained as a result of her damaged heart valves. He had read her entire medical chart while she'd napped earlier in the afternoon. When she was five she'd had strep throat which was misdiagnosed due to the many unfortunate mishaps she'd experienced as a child. Her mother had taken her to her pediatrician suffering from a sore throat and then a painful, swollen and red knee.

She presented a few times after that with the same problem in other joints—ankle, elbow and shoulder—but it always went away after a few days, and was relegated to clumsiness. Because she had always tripped or banged into things, this symptom was most likely overlooked. By the age of ten, she'd had half a dozen sprains, a broken arm, various cuts, contusions, and a concussion.

To say that she had been a clumsy child was an understatement. He wished he had found her sooner so he could have protected her from some of the things that had happened to her. The accidents became fewer and farther between as she'd entered adolescence and progressed into early adulthood. Her lone hospitalization of the summer before stood in stark contrast as the incident which changed her life forever. From that point, her chart was filled with notes of her diagnosis, treatment, and bleak prognosis.

Her parents were part of a standard HMO, which had many limitations. However, when you had access to the vast world medical fraternity, as his father did, there was no shortage of new medical procedures at their disposal. Most weren't widely practiced and available to the masses, and thus not covered by insurance companies. Money leveled the playing field for the wealthy, who spared no expense for cutting edge treatment. This is what he and Carlisle would do for Bella: get her the best medical care money and considerable influence could buy.

Bella stirred and murmured what sounded like, "Shakespeare." Edward smiled and walked over to the bed. She was beautiful as she lay in repose, dreaming of the Bard, perhaps because they had read some of his Sonnets before she fell asleep.

He recited the last two lines of Sonnet Eighteen to her sleeping form.

"Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, when in eternal lines to time thou growest: so long as men can breathe or eyes can see, so long lives this and this gives life to thee."

~888~

On Monday afternoon after class, Edward and Bella found themselves in the fully functioning office of Dr. Carlisle Cullen, which had been provided by his old friend and colleague, Dr. Richard Webber, the Chief of Surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital. Having met and worked with Richard some thirty years earlier, Carlisle had contacted him this time as the son of the Carlisle Cullen he had known so many years before.

Carlisle sent his credentials to Seattle Grace as soon as Edward had informed the family of his intentions regarding Bella. His credentials had been verified, and he had been granted active membership status, his admitting privileges at Seattle Grace immediately conferred. Like Edward, Carlisle had also read and committed Bella's full medical chart to memory and was eager to discuss her case with the Chief and his premier cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Preston Burke.

Carlisle held a stethoscope to Bella's heart after a cursory examination as the Chief and Dr. Burke arrived, although, it really wasn't necessary because of his keen vampire hearing. He was always careful to do so when he was in a medical setting, because he didn't want his colleagues to grow suspicious. After they were all introduced, Dr. Burke performed a precordial examination to determine the extent of Bella's cardiovascular pathology. Upon completion of the examination, Dr. Burke adjusted his wire-framed glasses and looked squarely at Bella.

"There are some bruits, or unusual blood sounds that can be attributed to vascular stenoses, resulting from the narrowing of your blood vessels. There is also evidence of some vascular regurgitation, or blood spilling back into your valves," Dr. Burke said. "I'd like to schedule you for a battery of tests in the morning to confirm the diagnoses with some medical imaging. Once I've been able to study the results, I should be able to let you know in a few days if you are indeed a candidate for the surgery. Do you have any questions, Bella?"

"If I am deemed a good candidate, what are my chances for a successful valve replacement?" Bella asked.

"Most simple valve replacements are fairly routine, and barring any complications, the success rate is close to 100%. When a heart has sustained as much damage as yours, a transplant is generally recommended. Due to the amount of time that has elapsed, the fairly regular congestive heart failure you've experienced, and the number of replacements and repair you need, we couldn't go with the non-invasive replacement procedure. A multiple valve replacement of this complexity would be a fairly risky procedure for an average surgeon with a heart as compromised as yours. So, I'd say your chance of survival of a successful valve replacement in my care is approximately 80%."

Bella looked up at Edward, who had come to her side and put his arm around her. She could only see love and support in his eyes. He looked to Dr. Burke with a question of his own. "If Bella opts to go with the surgery, how soon would we be able to schedule it?"

"If I determine she's a good candidate, I'd say within the next three weeks, as I'm booked until at least then. Any further questions?" Dr. Burke asked, looking from Bella to Edward.

"No," Bella said with a smile. "Thank you, Dr. Burke."

Dr. Burke smiled, finally showing even white teeth that looked even whiter against his ebony skin. "I'll meet with Dr. Cullen in a couple of days, and we'll call you back in when a firm prognosis and course of treatment is determined."

~888~

In the week or more they had been living together, Bella was surprised to find that they fell into an easy routine without much manipulation or disagreement from either of them. Edward adopted the roles of protector, provider and caregiver with ease. Having enrolled himself in all of Bella's classes, Edward shadowed her everywhere. They left in the mornings for campus together and returned at lunch, where he prepared low-sodium meals for her and made sure she took her medication. Edward decided he would leave during the night only when she was in a deep sleep to hunt for his own sustenance. Bella thought it was too much.

"You know, I am not so sick I can't do some things for myself. I won't be a kept woman, Edward Cullen, not even for you," she teased.

He looked wounded. "My immortality lets me to do these things for you without tiring, but my love for you makes me happy to do them. Please don't take that away from me."

She couldn't refuse the forlorn, little boy look on his face. "Okay, but you've got to promise me, when I'm better, you'll let me to do some things for myself. You'll spoil me rotten."

His face lit up with one of those million megawatt smiles which never failed to totally disarm her, and he took her gently into his arms. "I like that you now say 'when' and not 'if' you get better."

"Your positive outlook has rubbed off on me, I think," she said, matching his smile with one of her own.

It seemed as if it had been months since they had left Montreal, and she was still in awe that she had found someone to care for her in the way she had always dreamed.

Edward bent down and buried his face in her hair, then bent further and ran his cool nose over her throat as he had grown accustomed to doing. Bella loved it because he liked to refer to it as "savoring the flavor, but refusing the meal." It had become sort of an inside joke between them, but she knew this exercise was critical to his desensitization to her blood.

When he had sniffed as much of her fragrance as his cold dead lungs could hold, he punctuated this whiff with a kiss on her pulse point. His cold lips made Bella tremble, but not from the temperature. She pressed her body closer to his and was surprised to find he did not move away immediately, as he so often did.

As they embraced, their eager hands found purchase in feather light caresses, exploring planes and curves that had heretofore been taboo. Bella was elated. She caressed the sinew and muscle of stone on his back through the fabric of his shirt, and reveled in the perfection that was like a living sculpture. Edward kissed a trail from below her ear, across her jaw, to her lips, and as he claimed her mouth, Bella brought her arms up and laced her fingers through his unruly silken hair.

In the boldest move he'd ever made with her, he cupped the cheeks of her bottom and hoisted her to his waist, where she instinctively wound her legs around him, feeling the proof of his arousal throbbing at her center. Supporting her effortlessly with his hands and not breaking the kiss, he walked them to her bed, where he sat, pulling her down onto his lap.

Emboldened by his actions, Bella took one of his hands and placed it on her breast. He moved as if to pull his lips away from hers, but Bella cupped his cheeks between her hands and held him there. Edward must have realized what she wanted, because he relaxed as she kissed him until she had no choice but to come up for air. His cool hands cupped her breasts, and her nipples pebbled in response through her shirt. She didn't know what this did to him, save the appreciative bulge in his pants, but every nerve-ending in her body screamed for release.

"Can you handle this?" she panted, her breasts rising and falling with each breath. Bella could see desire in his hooded eyes, but he was apprehensive. "Above the waist," she clarified. His answer was a kiss that took her breath away, and her hands went immediately to the buttons on his shirt. When she unfastened the last button, they broke the kiss as she lowered the shirt over his shoulders and slid it off his arms. His chest was smooth and cold as stone, but the contours of amazing pectorals and chiseled abdominals were a work of art. Bella splayed her palms over his chest, her thumbs finding his nipples and fluttering over them. Edward's golden eyes rolled, and a groan escaped from his beautiful mouth. She captured his bottom lip between her own and sucked it gently.

"Bella…" he moaned her name, then impatiently claimed her mouth again. Bella felt his tongue massaging hers in lightning fast flicks that zipped like electrical pulses. She was consumed by a lust she had never felt before. "Oh… Ed… ward…" she moaned into his mouth. When he deepened the kiss, she was lost. She wanted him so badly, she couldn't think straight. Her next sounds were whimpers of need she had never experienced. Edward broke the kiss, cupped her cheeks with his cool hands, and looked deep into her eyes.

"Are you okay, love?" he asked; his velvet voice was husky with desire.

"Yes… more okay than I've ever been," she said through ragged breaths. She gave him her most seductive smile and crossed her arms to grasp the hem of her shirt, pulling it up and over her head. Edward helped her arms out of the sleeves, and in one fluid motion, dropped her shirt on the bed next to his. She wore the lacy bra he had recoiled from when they'd moved in. A smile graced his lips as he recognized it. "Remember this?" she taunted.

"Absolutely," he whispered. "You're so beautiful…"

Bella kissed him almost before he could get the words out, and at the same time, she wove her hands behind her back and unfastened her bra. She wriggled out of it, letting it fall in their laps between them. Her nipples hardened as she threw her arms around his neck and her breasts grazed his cool chest. They shared a simultaneous gasp as she scooted forward and their upper bodies made contact for the first time without clothing. Winding her arms up and around his neck again, her lips never leaving his, he caressed her warm skin with his cool hands.

Bella felt like she was falling, even as he held her on his lap. In an instant, the vertigo she felt became more pronounced, and she realized he had lain on the bed on his side and maneuvered her on the bed facing him. His cool hands softly cupped her breasts again, sending chills throughout her body. In another instant he hovered over her, kissing a trail from her mouth to her neck. Bella couldn't help but think , for a 108-year-old vampire who had never made love to a woman, he was pretty talented. When his lips closed around one of her peaks, she arched her back involuntarily and held his head between both her hands. This time her eyes rolled in the back of her head.

"Mmm," she moaned. "Oh…" Her next words were lost because Edward moved so fast he stood a few feet away from the bed. "What?" she said.

"Alice and Jasper are coming," he whispered. Anger robbed him of his usual lithe movements. At vampire speed, he retrieved their clothing and handed her shirt and bra to her, as she sat up on the bed. "You would think they might phone before showing up unannounced."

His shirt was on and buttoned before Bella could get her bra through one arm.

_"I __heard __that, __Edward.__" __Alice __said __matter-of-factly __in __her __head __as __she __ceased __reciting __the __French __poetry __to __hide __her __true __thoughts __from __him.__ "__We'll __give __you __guys __a __few __minutes __to __make __yourselves __presentable." _She went back to her recitation.

"One of the hazards of having a clairvoyant sibling," Edward mumbled, frustrated.

"Oh," Bella said absentmindedly as she struggled to get her shirt turned right side out so she could put it back on. She didn't want to think about what Alice must have seen on their way over to visit them.

"Here, let me help you," Edward whispered, his voice now soft. He had her shirt over her head and her arms through the sleeves before she could blink. He forced a tight smile then caressed her cheek before he turned to the door. "I'll let them in."

Bella scooted off the bed and followed him into the living room. Alice and Jasper had already arrived when she got to the living room, sitting on the sofa and smiling as she entered the room and stood next to Edward.

~888~

Edward desperately tried to glean something from their thoughts, but both Alice and Jasper recited mundane things in their heads to keep him out. He scowled at them. Bella gave him a weak smile and tugged on his shirt, trying to disquiet the anger she could feel exuding from him.

"Bella!" Alice said, moving to embrace her. "You guys seem to have settled in well."

Bella colored with a slight blush. "Y-yes, we have. How about you guys?"

Edward could see Bella was a bit embarrassed. She seemed to be struggling to wrap her head around the realization that her new vampire family had little to no secrets from one another. He was sure Jasper and Alice knew full well what he and Bella had been up to when they'd shown up at their threshold. This was one of the reasons why he had opted to have a separate residence from his family with Bella, despite Carlisle and Esme's generous offer of a room in the new Cullen mansion.

"It's like we've been here for months," Alice said. She turned to Jasper. "Right, honey?"

"Yeah," Jasper agreed from the sofa, a safe distance away from Bella's scent. "Esme and my little yellow rose have worked wonders on the new house."

Edward moved to Bella's side and slid his arm around her waist possessively. "Let's cut to the chase, shall we? Why are you really here, Alice?" Edward was uncharacteristically impolite. It angered Jasper and stunned Bella.

A low growl escaped Jasper's lips as he moved involuntarily to the edge of the sofa. Alice flitted over and placed her hand on his shoulder in an unspoken effort to calm him.

"Edward, please," Bella said. "Alice and Jasper are the first guests in our home, and Alice has done so much to make it comfortable for us here." She laid a hand on his chest where his heart might have been beating were he still human. Her eyes beseeched him to play nice with his siblings even though he was livid that they interrupted the first significant expression of intimacy they'd shared since they'd been on their own.

His first inclination had been to send them away without inviting them in, but he had known that would only upset Bella, but here he had gone and upset her anyway. Taking the hand she'd placed on his chest, he raised it to his lips and kissed it, and when he looked in her eyes again, he was careful to show her only tenderness and love. She smiled her approval, and then he was able to look at his siblings without any animosity.

"Alice, Jasper, please forgive me," Edward said. He hoped his sincerity was clearly conveyed in his voice and his manner. "As you well know, this is new for Bella and me. I… she… we are not used to the lack of privacy that comes with vampire abilities."

"Apology accepted brother," Jasper hastened to say. "You know we wouldn't have intruded if Alice didn't have something pressing to share with you."

Edward looked at his sister, whose earlier worried frown had turned into a tentative smile. "Alice…?" Edward said. He was not altogether sure if he was ready to hear what she had to say that brought Jasper here with her in support.

"Dr. Burke is going to accept Bella as a candidate for the surgery," Alice said without preamble. "But Chief Swan and Mrs. Swan will be opposed to her having the surgery."

"Why?" Bella asked.

"Because you're their only child, and they are afraid. Your physician in Forks will tell them it's an extremely risky procedure for you with as much damage as you have to your heart." She turned to Edward. "They'll want to hold out for a transplant because they believe her heart is too damaged for the valve replacements to work," Alice recounted from her visions.

"While that may be true in most cases," Edward argued, "Dr. Burke is the best cardiothoracic surgeon in this country. He has the best mortality rate in the world."

_If __Bella __were __to __become __a __Cullen __in __every __sens __of __the __word, __a __high __risk __surgery __might __not __have __been __necessary __in __the __first __place_, Jasper thought.

Edward grimaced at Jasper and shook his head imperceptibly and replied to his brother in vampire speed. _Carlisle __wasn__'__t __sure __her __hear __would __be __able __to __sustain __the __change, __and __if __it __was, __she __might __languish __for __da__ys __or __weeks __in __agony._ Thankfully Bella was preoccupied by what Alice had said about her parents.

"I'm an adult. My parents can't prevent me from having the surgery if I want to do it," Bella said. Her brow crinkled as it often did when she was agitated.

"Would you defy them? Even if they felt so strongly about it?" Edward asked.

Bella looked torn. It pained him to see her look so uncertain and sad. Edward looked at Alice again. "Alice, can you see the outcome of the surgery? Maybe if they met with Dr. Burke and heard firsthand about his success rate…"

Alice assumed her trance-like state and looked into Bella's future after the surgery. Edward saw it as it played in her mind. Her parents wouldn't budge.

"Then maybe Carlisle can convince Dr. Gerundy and he could reassure them. Alice?" In this scenario, Edward could see through Alice's vision that only Renee was won over, but Charlie still seemed to have his heels dug in.

"What does Alice see?" Bella asked.

"Your father still does not agree," Edward said resignedly. Then he got an idea.

"If the decision were removed from them completely, how would that affect our odds?" Edward inquired of his sister. Then allowed her to see his thoughts. _How __would __things __change __if __Bella __and __I __were __married __and __told __her __parents?_

"As far as I'm concerned, the decision is not theirs. I need to talk to them, make them see this is what I want," Bella said.

Edward smiled a reassuring smile at Bella. He was desperate to make this surgery for her a reality without her parents' objections, and if he could make her his permanently in the process, that would be an added bonus. His love for her was absolute and would never change, only grow stronger with time.

Alice concentrated again, and her vision yielded the desired result. Success! Edward immediately took a knee in front of his beautiful speechless girlfriend, his soulmate, as Alice and Jasper looked on. Waiting to propose at a more romantic time might make for a better memory, but he wanted forever with her beginning now.

"Isabella Swan, I love you more than my own life. You have changed me irrevocably. Would you do me the extraordinary honor of becoming my wife?"

In anticipation of an answer in the affirmative, Edward swiftly stood, picked her up and cradled her in his arms as she wound her hands around his neck and said, "Yes… yes, absolutely yes."

**E/N: I promise the story hasn't jumped the shark, ya'll. The next chapter will further explain both Edward's and Bella's motivations for rushing headlong into marriage. Impending death has a way of making preliminary stuff rather superfluous, don't you think? Review and tell me what you really think. **


	9. Chapter 8 Yuletide Canticle

**_A/N: _As always, thanks to Shug (SSHG316) who beta'd the original version of this story and a special thanks to Songster51 for beta'ing this revision. This is the last update of 2011. Here's wishing all my readers and friends a Happy New Year! The next update will come in 2012.**

**YULETIDE CANTICLE**

**Chapter 8**

Once Alice and Jasper departed, Edward prepared an elaborate candlelight dinner for her and they toasted with a bottle of sparkling cider, which Bella consumed and Edward sipped, frowned and teased her about the taste. His visage bore a constant smile and Bella was finally convinced that his proposal had not been a colossal mistake when he presented her with a gorgeous platinum diamond engagement ring, another jewel compliments of the late Elizabeth Masen. Later, when she settled onto the sofa to watch a video of _Les Miserables_, Edward lit the fireplace and actually joined her.

When the credits rolled, he leaned in and kissed her softly. "Thank you."

"For what, the movie?" Bella asked.

"For everything, but that wasn't half bad, either," he said. "Although, the original Broadway version was better."

Bella affected a dramatic, playful roll of her eyes. "Are you a live-acting snob, Mr. Cullen?"

"Well, that was the method in my day."

"Now you really sound like a curmudgeon." She giggled and kissed his cheek. "But soon to be my personal curmudgeon."

Edward laughed and she reveled in hearing it and regarded him with a loving smile until it waned, still searching his face for any sign of regret.

He looked into her eyes and grew serious. "What?"

"Thank you for making tonight so special."

He put an arm around her and held her close to his side, careful to arrange an afghan between them so she wouldn't get too cold. "You're very welcome."

She couldn't help but grin, then sobered and posed the question that she felt she already knew the answer to, but didn't want to assume. "Are you sure you want to get married so soon?"

His eyes narrowed. "You're not having second thoughts are you?"

"No, no," Bella said taking his hand in hers and pinning him with her eyes. "It's just…I-I need to know that this is what you really want. You're not doing this out of some misplaced duty, or pity, or any of those things." Then she looked down and away, afraid that she might see something she didn't want to see in his eyes.

"I'm a more selfish creature than you take me for, love. I want you to have my name, to be mine before you go under the surgeon's knife. I also want to be the one making medical decisions for you if need be. Your parents would make their call out of pure emotion and the limited information given them by your physician. I would decide medically and out of love, to give you your best chance at survival. Do you trust me to do that?"

"Yes, but would you have asked me so soon if I wasn't terminally ill?"

Edward eased his hand under her chin and tilted her head back up to look him in the eye again. "I loved you enough to ask, and you loved me enough to say yes. Whether we get married now, or a year from now, doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, does it?"

"But what if I don't make it?" A lone tear streamed down her face. "Then you would have done all this for me for nothing."

He swept the tear away with the back of his fingers. "You're wrong." He kissed her moist cheek then sought out her eyes again. "Carlisle and Dr. Burke will do everything humanly and inhumanly possible to save you. If I lose you by either means, I will be a better man for having attached myself to you in every way legally possible, and will follow you in death."

"I wish you wouldn't say that. Promise me you won't harm yourself if I don't make it."

"Bella, I can't—"

"Yes, you can. You have so much to live for. Carlisle and Esme would like to see more of the race of vampires as peace-loving vegetarians. You have to help them continue to champion that legacy."

"Then I won't entertain the thought of losing you," he said with a stubborn set of his chin.

"Promise me," she pleaded.

He squared his shoulders. "I promise not to harm myself—if you don't make it."

"Good," she said, then remembered his idea of asking for assistance from the Italian mobster vampires. "And you won't go to the Volturi?"

"I won't go to the Volturi," he recited. He forced a tight smile, stood and offered her his hand. "Now can we stop it with this dreadful conversation? We have a long day tomorrow. We'll need to notify your professors of your upcoming surgery, make arrangements for telecommuting for those classes you'll be missing for several weeks, and Carlisle will need to fake a blood test for me, not to mention all the wedding details Alice has in store for us."

She stood, wound her arms around his waist, and smiled up into his eyes. "I'd like to do two things before we retire for the night."

"Anything within reason," he said with a smirk.

"I want to call my parents and then Angela."

"That sounds like a good idea. I should probably ring Carlisle and Esme, although I'm sure Alice and Jasper have already given them a heads-up."

~888~

Edward heard Renee Swan's reaction from across the room, even though he was simultaneously on the phone with Carlisle and Esme, her shrill screaming was unmistakable. However, his phone call was mercifully short; Carlisle and Esme were ecstatic over the news. Edward grabbed the book of sonnets he and Bella had been reading through and settled into a chair so his eavesdropping wouldn't be so blatant.

"_You did make that trip to the drugstore, didn't you honey?" Renee asked._

Edward smiled and shook his head at her mother's irrational fear that he could make her daughter pregnant or give her an STD. Carlisle had counseled him and Bella in an embarrassing "What to Expect When Having Sex With A Vampire," talk just before they moved in together. They would take precautions because so much was unknown.

"Mom, I told you that wasn't necessary and it's still not—until maybe the honeymoon."

"_Good. I just wouldn't want you to do anything to bring on early heart failure."_

"Believe me, you don't have to worry about that," Bella assured her, and turned away so he wouldn't see her blossoming blush.

"_Well, your Dad's reaching for the phone. Congratulations, baby, and please give my love and best wishes to Edward, too."_

"Thanks, Mom. Love you, too."

Bella looked over at Edward and smiled. He could see the nervousness she tried so desperately to hide.

"_Bells, why is Cullen in such a damn hurry?" Charlie asked point blank. _

"We love each other and we decided not to postpone being together until after graduation. You know anything could happen. If that's the case, we wanted to be married to face anything that comes our way, together."

When Edward heard her heart-rate increase, he clenched his fists and moved to her, reaching for the phone, but Bella stiff-armed him.

"I've got this," she whispered. The look in her eyes told him she did indeed have it. He went back to his chair and settled in with the sonnets, but continued to listen.

"_What's that supposed to mean? We know you're on the list for a heart, and when that happens, your Mom and I will move to Seattle to be with you."_

"There's been a change of plan," she said.

"_What change of plan? Are you dropping Bob Gerundy for Dr. Cullen?"_

"Dr. Gerundy can't treat me from Forks and Dr. Cullen is here in Seattle. We told you at Christmas that Edward's dad would be assisting me in getting the very best care."

"_Bob told me that Dr. Cullen had you up at Forks hospital doing all kinds of tests when you were home for the holidays. He's concerned about the risky procedures they're pursuing for you."_

"Edward and his father would never recommend anything that wasn't statistically safe. I trust their judgment."

"_Statistically safe? Come on Bells, you're putting your life in the hands of virtual strangers. Bob Gerundy's been treating you since you were knee-high to a duck."_

"Then they won't be strangers a week from now, they'll be my family, too, and Edward will be my husband. You have to trust that they'll do everything they can to keep me alive."

"_You could still get the call that an organ is available. Can't you wait?" he said. _

Edward was fascinated by the way she stood up to her father. This was a Bella he saw more and more of, and he liked it.

"You and I both know that's wishful thinking, Dad. The probability of a match for me is in the single digits. We have to face the truth. Dr. Cullen's colleague at Seattle Grace has a viable surgical option for me, and if he accepts me as a patient, I'm going to go that route."

"_Okay, so you're getting married in a week and having surgery shortly after that?"_ Her father sounded like he was defeated.

"Yes, next Saturday, at the Cullen house. And we haven't gotten the official word from Dr. Burke yet, but we have it on good authority that I'll be accepted."

"_What happened to you in Montreal? You've never given us so much pushback." _

"I guess I grew up, Dad."

"_I know. You're not my little girl anymore."_

She looked up into Edward's eyes as she said, "I may not be your little girl, but you're one of two men I love most in the world."

~888~

Bella wasn't surprised at how quickly a family of vampires could pull a wedding together. Given, a coven of a half a dozen that never slept, it amazed her how much they could get done in the span of twenty-four hours.

Jasper's artistic hand, a Kinko's run and FedEx delivery took care of invitations, which were off the next day. The Cullen men did all the heavy lifting to prepare the house for the transformation into a wedding destination. Alice and Esme handled all the fine wedding planning details, decorations and catering, followed up by Rosalie's efficient administrative skills. She paid the bills, made reservations for accommodations and called all the guests who would be traveling into town for the occasion.

After Rosalie made a her courtesy call to the Black residence, Bella got a call on her cell from a number she didn't recognize. She answered anyway.

"Hello?" she said, her voice tentative.

"What's this I hear about a wedding?"

"Jacob?" Bella didn't know whether to smile or cringe.

"The one and only." He was the same confident, just shy of arrogant, Jacob, with a deeper voice.

"Yes, I'm getting married next weekend. Hey, how'd you get this number anyway?"

"I have my ways," he said cryptically. "So, you go off to Montreal and come back with a fiancé?"

"None of the guys in Forks or Seattle were biting. What can I say?"

Rosalie looked at Bella with a smirk. Then Bella realized she'd mentioned biting. Rosalie gestured that she would leave the room, but Bella insisted with answering gestures for her to stay.

"We try to refrain from biting here in our neck of the woods. Someone could really get hurt."

She skirted the double entendre. "Sorry I didn't get over to the reservation while I was home for the holidays."

"Yeah, me too. I figured I wouldn't see you after your parents kept going on about some guy you brought home with you when I saw them on Christmas Eve."

"The break flew by so fast, and Edward and I had lots of family obligations."

"Are you sure about this Edward? I thought I might have some time-"

She cut him off. "Some time for what?"

He seemed to weigh his words. "For us to be…friends again, but then my Dad told me you'd left for Seattle right after the New Year."

"I never stopped considering you a friend, Jake. I needed to get back to UW and get this last semester under way. I'll be having surgery a couple of weeks after my wedding." Bella paced with the phone to her ear, watching Rosalie make wedding favors.

"So they found you a heart?"

"No, but I'll be getting some new valves."

He raised his voice a few decibels with incredulity. "And this is supposed to work?"

"Yes, the Doctor doing my surgery is number one in his field, Charlie Swan, Jr," she said sarcastically. "But, like I told my Dad, this is my body and I decide what happens or doesn't happen to it." She didn't like how Jacob tried to wiggle his way back into her life, as if he had some say after abandoning their friendship.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I have no right to try and tell you what to do. I really hope the surgery is successful."

"Thanks," she said. "I have a feeling it will be."

"So, who's this guy you're marrying?"

She smiled. "His name is Edward Cullen."

"Cullen?"

"Yes," she closed her eyes waiting for the onslaught. "Um, you will come, right?"

He ignored her question, his voice becoming hard. "Are these people, by chance, related to the Cullens who moved away from here like thirty years ago?"

Bella deliberately ignored his question, delaying the inevitable. "Why? You weren't even born thirty years ago."

"Do they have property north of town?"

"Have you got a problem with the Cullens?"

"I might if they're the same ones who lived here before," he said.

"How can they be the same ones?" Bella said. "Edward is my age."

"If you say so," Jacob said. His next words were softer. "Just…be careful, Bella. There are real predators, real monsters in this world." Then he said under his breath, "Myself included."

"You're not a monster, Jake." She tried to reassure him as she'd done Edward. "You can't help who you are. Don't beat yourself up about it."

There was an awkward silence.

"Jake?"

"Why did you say that?"

"I know what you are," she said. She didn't see any reason to dance around the subject anymore.

He paused, but then let out a sigh. "So my tribal anomaly doesn't freak you out?"

"No, not any more than any other mythical creature." She sighed, too. "I might as well tell you if you plan on coming next weekend with your Dad…the Cullens are the same ones who lived here before."

"What!"

"I'm marrying one of the Cullens who your tribe has an ongoing treaty with."

"Bella! What the fu…you don't know what you're doing. You're marrying a freaking bloodsucker! He'll kill you!"

"Jacob, calm down. You know Edward and his family are peace-loving and only hunt animals."

"You can't marry that…? Arrghhh!"

A deafening roar rattled her eardrums, and she heard Jacob's phone drop, clattering on the floor.

Rosalie flitted over to her in the blink of an eye. "Bella, are you okay?"

Bella nodded, willing herself not to cry.

Rosalie reached for the phone. "You need me to teach that dog some manners?"

Bella shook her head. After a scuffle, more growling, and then a mournful baying, as if a wolf howled at the moon, she heard someone pick up the phone.

Sue's voice came on the line.

"Sorry, Bella."

Bella swallowed. "What's going on?"

"Let's just say, Jacob's wolf brothers are trying to calm him down. We'll see you Saturday?"

"Okay, thanks Sue."

~888~

A week after Dr. Burke's official agreement to accept Bella as a surgical candidate, Bella and Edward were married under an ornate white gazebo in the backyard of the Seattle Cullen Estate. The entire affair was enclosed in two large white tents, which Edward, his father and brothers erected the day before, complete with heaters to keep them all warm. Alice, Esme, and even Rosalie helped Bella pull together a spectacular wedding in the small amount of time they'd had to plan.

The guest list included immediate family of both the Cullens and the Swans and a few of Bella and her parents' closest friends. Tanya and her sisters from Denali were included among this number, as they were the closest thing the Cullens had to immediate family. Dr. Burke and Dr. Webber also attended with their significant others at Carlisle's invitation.

Alice realized in the timeframe they had, a made-to-order designer gown wouldn't be possible. They were fortunate enough to find a gorgeous Vera Wang sample gown at Marcella's La Boutique on 4th Avenue, which required only limited alterations, and made it work. Alice used her considerable skills of persuasion at Marcella's to allow them to view the sample gowns they stored for their All Designer Sample Sale they already had scheduled for mid-January. They even found designer bridesmaid dresses for Alice, Rose, and a maid of honor dress, for Angela. Edward chose Carlisle as his best man, and Emmett and Jasper, of course as groomsmen, and escorts for Alice and Rose.

Bella wanted to include Esme in the wedding party, but she insisted she would play the piano for them and enjoy the wedding from her seat as mother of the groom. Angela's father, Rev. Weber, performed the ceremony. He'd baptized Bella when she was a child, and she attended their church for a while with Angela when they were younger. Church never caught on with her parents, because Charlie preferred worshipping on a fishing boat every weekend and her mother was flighty when it came to all things spiritual—she had sampled many religions over the years from a quest to be trained as a Quileute Shaman to Buddhism.

Bella felt like she inhabited a dream. As she approached Edward at the altar on her father's arm, she could not believe she had only just met the magnificent man she was marrying a mere month and a half before. Seeing him in all his glory as she walked down the aisle to meet him, she couldn't believe he was convinced that, as a vampire, he didn't have a soul. What she fell in love with and what she currently beheld was all angel, and no part soul-less demon.

As Esme played the traditional wedding march, Bella traversed the white carpet in her resplendent wedding gown, and Charlie placed her hand in Edward's who was bedecked in a perfectly tailored black tuxedo. It was twilight, so everyone who sparkled in the sun was safe, and the tent protected those who didn't sparkle from the elements. Rev. Weber had barely begun before Renee began to bawl and Charlie looked extremely uncomfortable.

"We are gathered here today in the face of this company, to join together Edward Anthony Masen Cullen and Isabella Marie Swan in holy matrimony; which is an honorable and solemn estate and therefore is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently and soberly." Rev. Weber looked to Charlie. "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

Charlie cleared his throat loudly. "Her mother and I." He then took his seat next to Renee and attempted to hold her together.

Bella tried to rein in her emotions, because she wanted to remember everything about their wedding day. She didn't despair that Edward would remember everything. His vampire mind was like a steel trap. As she gazed into his golden eyes, they seemed to be willing her to remain calm.

Rev. Weber gave his full attention back to Edward and Bella.

"Edward Anthony Cullen, will you take Isabella Marie Swan for your lawful wedded wife, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish her from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto her for as long as you both shall live?"

"I will," Edward said clearly and without hesitation. He gently squeezed her hands and his face opened into a beautiful smile. Bella was so deliriously happy it was as if only she and Edward were there, reciting their vows at the urging of a soothing authoritative disembodied voice as they pledged their troth to each other and God alone.

Rev. Weber posed the same question to Bella, who said "I will," with a voice that trembled with emotion. She was so lost in the angelic smile of her groom, she almost missed her cue.

Angela stepped forward to do a poetry reading.

"Bella chose Sonnet XXV by Elizabeth Barrett Browning as a gift from her to Edward. It describes the sorrow and depression Elizabeth experienced most of her life, due to her illness. Much like Bella, she lost her childhood as her sorrows added in number. Though the sonnet begins in a rather melancholy tone, it takes a drastic turn when she mentions 'thou,' or Robert Browning, stating that he took away all of her sadness. This is what Bella says Edward has done for her," Angela said with a smile.

"A heavy heart, Belovèd, have I borne

From year to year until I saw thy face,

And sorrow after sorrow took the place

Of all those natural joys as lightly worn

As the stringed pearls, each lifted in its turn

By a beating heart at dance-time..."

At the end of the reading, Edward brought Bella's left hand to his lips and kissed it. Bella felt light, as if she might float away, but Edward held her hands firmly, anchoring her in the moment.

"Edward and Isabella have written vows to one another. At this time, Edward will recite the vows he has written for Isabella," Rev. Weber said.

Regarding her with such sincerity and love, Edward moved closer, his eyes boring into hers as he recited his promises to her clearly and without hesitation.

"I take you, Bella, to be my wife, my true one and only mate for life. When you entered my world, you changed me forever. I promise to give you the best of myself, and to ask of you no more than you can give. I promise to respect you as a person with your own interests, desires, and needs, and to realize that those are sometimes different but no less important than my own.

"I promise to keep myself open to you, to let you see through the window of my personal world into my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams. I want to spend the rest of my life hearing your thoughts and seeing your dreams. All that was once mine alone is now also yours. Whatever may come, I will always be here for you. And finally, I promise to love you in times of joy and in times of sorrow, with all I have to give, in the only way I know how: completely, immutably, and forever."

Bliss coursed through her, making her heart so full she could barely hold it all in.

"And now Isabella will recite the vows she has written for Edward."

Afraid that her joy would overwhelm her so completely that she wouldn't be able to articulate clearly what she had written a few days before, Bella swallowed, took a deep breath, and prayed that her voice would carry.

"I choose you Edward, as my husband, my life partner, my best friend, my most discreet confidant, and life-long companion. On this day I affirm the relationship we have enjoyed, looking to the future to deepen and strengthen it. I promise to accept you as you are. I fell in love with you for your unique qualities, abilities, and outlook on life, and will never try to reshape you into a different image. I will help you to remember joy when you are sad. I will be there to make memories with you when you are happy.

"I love you despite your weaknesses and excesses, as I am sure you love me despite mine. I promise to nourish our love with you into a bond that is unbreakable. I want to be everything to you, just as you're everything to me. I will trust you and honor you. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. In giving you my hand to hold, I also give you my life to keep. I will love you always, without reservation, as long as we both shall live—even when my damaged and soon to be repaired heart ceases to beat." Bella's breath hitched only at the end, and her voice became husky with tears as her eyes filled.

Edward cupped her left cheek with his right hand and his golden eyes bore into hers with love. Unable to give words to her feelings, even in her thoughts, Bella teetered precariously on the brink of losing it. She stole a glance at her parents searching for strength to hold herself together.

Charlie did not allow the tears to fall from his eyes until he heard the vows that Bella had written for Edward. It was as if that finally confirmed for him that he was losing his only daughter. When Bella saw Charlie's tears, hers fell unbidden down her cheeks.

Rev. Weber looked to Carlisle. "Do you have the rings?"

"Yes," Carlisle said proudly and handed them over to Rev. Weber.

"May this ring be blessed so he who gives it and she who wears it may abide in peace, and continue in love as long as you both shall live," Rev. Weber said.

He handed the ring to Edward who placed it onto Bella's finger with the engagement ring he had given her the night he proposed. It, too, had been his mother's.

"With this ring, I thee wed. Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment," Edward said clearly.

Rev. Weber next addressed Bella whom he instructed the recite the same words. He handed the ring to Bella and she slid it on Edward's finger. Together, they'd selected their wedding bands to complement his mother's delicate engagement ring. Bella's eyes sought Edward's again once his ring was secure. "With this ring, I thee wed. Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment."

"May this couple be prepared to continue to give, be able to forgive and experience more and more joy with each passing day, with each passing year. Edward and Isabella, are now beginning their married life together, we hope that they may have loving assistance from their families, the constant support of friends, and a long life with good health and everlasting love.

"In so much as Edward and Isabella have consented to live forever together in wedlock, and have witnessed the same before this company, having given and pledged their troth, each to the other, and having declared same by the giving and receiving of a ring, I pronounce that they are husband and wife," Rev. Weber said, addressing the guests.

Then to Edward and Bella, "You may now seal the promises you have made with each other with a kiss."

Edward kissed her first lovingly on her lips, and then kissed the tears from her cheeks.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Edward Anthony Masen Cullen."

As Esme played the recessional march, they walked together back down the white carpet and into the second tent on the Cullen lawn that housed their reception.

~888~

Billy Black and Sue Clearwater were among the Quileute elders in attendance and hung back until Bella and Edward greeted most of their guests. Sue pushed Billy along in his wheelchair to where Edward and Bella had just spoken to Drs. Webber and Burke and their wives.

"Billy, Sue," Bella said walking forward to greet them. "Thanks for coming." She kissed Billy's cheek, and hugged and kissed Sue. Edward followed up by shaking their hands.

"Congratulations," Billy said, his voice stiff and unemotional. "Under the circumstances, I offer you the conventional sentiment, but you have to know we don't condone your choice."

Edward growled softly, and Bella touched him and then tucked herself under his arm in an effort to calm him.

Sue leaned down and admonished Billy in a loud whisper. "You promised not to make a scene."

"I was there when this girl was born," Billy said. "I hate to see her throw her life away like this."

"My life is my own," Bella said. "And I trust my husband with it, explicitly. You need to redraw the treaty. In the event the surgery isn't successful, and I agree to be changed, I don't want your wolves coming after my family."

"Jacob's wolf brothers had to shackle him when he found out about this wedding. The stipulation in the treaty is the only way I could get him to see reason," Billy said.

"This doesn't concern him," Bella said. "Jacob distanced himself from me by choosing to keep his own secret. The least he could do now is give me the courtesy of keeping mine."

Bella listed faintly and Edward held her steady. "You should sit down for a while, sweetheart," he urged.

Sue's eyes widened and she pulled a nearby chair over and Edward seated Bella in it.

"Billy," Sue said. "I'll support you at the next elders meeting if you will agree to honor Bella's request." She smiled at Bella and Edward. "It's clear that she loves him very much."

Edward got the attention of a waiter with the catering company and ordered a glass of water for Bella.

"Billy, please," Bella said. "You have to know that my chances aren't the best. If I die, Renee and Charlie, and my husband will lose me." She took Edward's hand and laced her fingers through his. "If I'm changed, I will at least have the chance of a life with my husband."

Billy relaxed his shoulders and the set of his jaw, his black eyes growing shiny. "Sue and I will do what we can to convince the other elders. Only the spirits will be able to help me with Jacob."

"Thank you," Bella said through a watery smile.

~888~

Edward wasn't surprised that Tanya kept a wide berth while Carmen, Eleazar, and the other Denali women greeted them and paid their respects. Tanya found it offensive that he had finally succumbed to and embraced his manhood, because she had not been the one to awaken those desires in him. More so, she could not fathom why he was so smitten with what she described in her mind as a "frail, ordinary human girl."

While she had nodded to them cordially after the wedding with a forced smile, he had not been fooled that she was not still very upset over her human lover he had killed more than two years before. There was a new man in her life whom she would ask to do her a favor.

Edward also heard fragments of words like _shapeshifter_, and _wolf_. Had Tanya and her coven come in contact with the Quileutes recently? He tried to delve further into her thoughts, but she made certain to mask her thoughts in Russian so he was only able to catch bits and pieces of them, but he heard another distinct word that concerned him: _Volturi_.

He voiced his concern to his father while Bella said goodbye to her friends from Forks as the reception wound down.

"Carlisle, I read Tanya's thoughts. She seems to be thinking of going to the Volturi about Bella and me."

Carlisle pursed his lips in exasperation. "I'll have a word with her."

"She'd just deny it. I was thinking along the lines of maybe you contacting contact Aro yourself."

"As in a preemptive strike?"

"Something like that."

"I can see how it would be better to have the news of your marriage to a human wife come from us rather than someone else, and since you plan to change her once she's recuperated from her surgery, their hand wouldn't be forced by a vendetta of Tanya's creation."

"Even after Bella recuperates from the surgery, we're not going to change her immediately. If I had my way, I wouldn't rob her of her soul at all. I know you'd like to believe that we, too, have souls, but I am still not persuaded of that," he confessed to his frustrated father.

"Edward, it's already a stretch that the Volturi will accept what we propose. Why complicate matters by refusing to change her at all? A successful surgery would simply make her strong enough so the transformation wouldn't have to take so long repairing her damaged tissues. As you well know these valve replacements are designed to last longer than the average human lives and will strengthen her heart enough to endure the change."

"I may not have any choice. Bella wants to be changed once she finishes her graduate degree, but I'm still hoping I'll be able to talk her out of it. Let's discuss this further when we return from our honeymoon. In the meantime, please try to figure out how you can capitalize on one of the many favors the trinity owes you. Surely if you convince Aro, Marcus and Caius would be inclined to go along."

"I'll need to consult Alice on this one," Carlisle said grimly. "We'll need every power we can get working in our favor." Carlisle's eyes softened then, and he smiled at his son. "Edward, you are about to experience the single most gratifying thing that eclipses even the drinking of blood."

"Are you sure I won't be too much for her?"

"As you know, vampires have very few things in common with humans physiologically once we are changed. However, one of the things that remain is sex. Enjoy your wedding night, son."

~888~

**_A/N: _The honeymoon, surgery and all that is coming next chapter. They've both grown a lot in a short time, haven't they? How will our lovebirds handle all this change? Tell me how you think things will go for them?**


	10. Chapter 9 Yuletide Canticle

_**A/N: As always, thanks to Shug (SSHG316) who beta'd the original version of this story and a special thanks to Songster51 for beta'ing this revision. I'd also like to welcome and thank Renee Aubin for pre-reading.**_

_**Myself and an ensemble cast of respected authors, prolific readers, extraordinary betas and very talented graphic artists are hosting the "Truly Anonymous Twilight Picture Prompt Contest." Please follow me on Twitter at trulyanoncntst, or visit our website at **_

_**http : / ficcontest (dot) info/ (close the spaces and insert a dot in order to read the contest page. FFn no likey the webpages).**_

**__****YULETIDE CANTICLE**

**_Chapter 9_**

Edward persuaded Bella to sleep on their flight to Hawaii, since the wedding and reception had so thoroughly worn her out. On Dr. Burke's advice, they'd decided against a European honeymoon due to the impending surgery, so they chose the more tropical locale that was decidedly American. And of course, Drs. Webber and Burke had colleagues there who could step in and treat Bella if she required medical attention while away from Seattle.

After their uneventful flight, they landed on the Big Island and ferried over to the Mauna Lani Bay where they would be staying near the Kohala Coast. Rosalie had arranged by phone to purchase a variety of livestock on one of the local farms for Edward to feed on during their stay, since there was no wild game to speak of near that location.

Alice assured them that, while it was sunny a good bit of the time, during their stay it would be unseasonably cloudy. It was a welcome coincidence that where they stayed was called "cold country" by the locals because it was quite overcast, even on sunny days. The mountainside bungalow reserved for them was secluded and boasted a bird's-eye view of the ocean in the distance from a gorgeous lanai.

Edward decided once they settled into their bungalow that honeymoons intimidated vampires as much as they did humans. Though her outward appearance was one of calm understated excitement, Bella's heartbeat belied her understandable nervousness. She prepared in the bathroom for what she believed would be the most beautiful expression of love they could share with one another. However, he paced the floor in a pair of cotton pajama bottoms, running his hands through his hair in frustration. He feared that despite Alice's insistence everything would be fine, he could kill his bride on their wedding night.

Edward would heed Carlisle's admonition to just "take it slow," because the change Bella had wrought in him would not allow him to lose total control. He didn't want his wife to discover on their wedding night he was the monster he had always been convinced he was. If the Denali sisters could take human lovers they didn't care for at all, surely he could finesse making love to his wife, whom he loved more than his very existence.

He tugged his hair so hard he felt a few strands give way in his hands. Deciding he should stop doing that lest he worry a bald spot there that wouldn't grow back, he redoubled his pacing speed.

"I hope you're right, Carlisle," he muttered to himself.

Then remembering another piece of advice Carlisle had given him, he went to the drawer where he'd unpacked his undergarments and retrieved the box of condoms he'd purchased a few days earlier. Since Carlisle had no research on how his ejaculate, or the traces of venom in it, might affect Bella, he'd advised him to use protection. Edward removed one of the foil packs from the box and deposited it on the bedside table. No sooner had he done this than Bella emerged from the bathroom.

She was an angelic vision. Her hair, free from the elegant chignon that Alice had woven it into for the wedding, was now a soft frame around her beautiful heart-shaped face. Clad only in a short, white lacy gown that was covered by a peignoir of the same length, she was breathtaking. He hoped he didn't have a 'deer in headlights' look on his face and that she would not pick up on how extraordinarily nervous he was. _Say something! _ he scolded himself.

"You are so beautiful, Mrs. Cullen," he said with a smile. He moved to her at vampire speed and picked her up just he had done when they'd crossed the threshold of their bungalow. This time, he carried her to the bed and gently laid her down.

"And you are equally as beautiful, Mr. Cullen," she said with a loving smile. She held her arms open to him, and he lay beside her and pulled her body flush to his.

He brought his lips to hers in a soft kiss and then locked eyes with her. "Promise me that if I hurt you in any way, you will tell me immediately."

"I promise," she said. "But we don't have anything to worry about. Alice says it'll be fine. Don't you trust her?"

"Yes, but while she might be able to ascertain that we would have a successful honeymoon, she didn't necessarily say I wouldn't hurt you in the process."

"There is always a little pain the first time. Please don't agonize over it. I trust you."

He had never placed his faith in a deity, but at that moment, he thanked Carlisle's God that he had a woman like Bella who believed in him and loved him unconditionally.

So anxious was he over what they were about to experience, it hadn't occurred to him that he was not in agony over her blood as much as he had been in recent weeks. It pleased him that he did not have to swallow large volumes of venom every few seconds anymore. He kissed his wife again, this time with passion, taking care that his razor sharp teeth didn't nick her tongue or lips in the process. His already throbbing erection was pressed insistently against her and it grew more rigid as he lost himself in making love with his bride.

~888~

Their bodies were primed through the foreplay of their first sexual experience as a married couple. Edward felt strange—as if he was in the fugue-like state he entered when he hunted-yet different. Blinded with mindless need, he gave in to the sensations that bombarded him as much as he safely could. Careful to maintain more control than he did while hunting, he held back for both their sakes.

He'd already kissed Bella over every inch of her body and brought her to orgasm once with his mouth. She seemed surprised he wanted to, and although shy about it, the resulting pleasure from it made her soon forget. Emmett had given him this pointer and assured him that it would make things infinitely easier for her later. She'd wanted to pleasure him in the same way, but he could hear that her heart was taxed by this activity and he didn't want to tire her out. There would be plenty of time for them to explore other ways of pleasing one another when she was healthier.

Everywhere Bella touched him elicited such pleasure that his body seemed to be electrically charged. The warmth from her hands exploring his back, her supple and pliant body pressed up against his, and her warm tongue on the cold muscle and sinew of his body drove him wild. Running his hand down her side, over her hip to the apex between her thighs, he felt that she was ready for him.

Through some unspoken agreement, they kept their eyes open, not wanting to miss a thing. The convention of shyness was abandoned because this moment was too important to both of them. Edward quickly donned the condom and positioned himself over her, careful not to crush her with the weight of his body. He entered her in a slow and reverent manner as if asking permission to proceed and she did the most surprising thing. She placed her hands on his bottom, cupped his cheeks firmly and pulled him down. Despite his inhuman vampire strength, he could not muster the willpower to refuse her. As her warm folds engulfed him, he felt the most divine sensation he had ever experienced in his existence, and his eyes rolled back of their own accord. At the same instant, Bella winced imperceptibly and afraid he'd hurt her too much, he moved to pull away.

"No, baby," she whispered. "We have to do it this way… quick pain, a little discomfort… and then only pleasure."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes," she said almost before he could pose the question.

He began again, and this time he thrust until he met and shattered the resistance of her hymen. Bella cried out, but she wound her arms possessively around him, and would not allow him to pull away. Even as he smelled the sweet fragrance of her blood mingled with the scent of her arousal, he released an involuntary growl and completed another thrust. He stilled himself to wait for her to recover, but she would have none of it.

"Make love to your wife, Mr. Cullen," she demanded and rocked her hips up to meet his.

Edward was all too happy to oblige. He moved over her in earnest. Within a few minutes, he could see and hear that the discomfort had gone away for her, and he was relieved to enjoy the act without the guilt that accompanied her pain.

Bella was beautiful beneath him as she made sounds of pleasure to rival his own, caressing him with her hands in every place on his body that she was able to touch. She arched up to meet him, her breathing becoming increasingly labored, but she stubbornly matched him thrust for thrust. If the pressure of his need was anything to gauge by, he could tell that she was close to release. Quickening his pace infinitesimally, he tenderly sprang the dam of her desire. Once again he witnessed the convulsive contraction of her body flooded with sensations that she seemed unable to control.

"Oh, Ed… ward… oh…" she babbled incoherently. The waves of her orgasm caused her to continue to rock her body to meet his with abandon.

The building of sensation in his loins had grown to a level of such taut, delirious pleasure; he knew he was seconds from his own release. He covered her mouth with his once again, and she kissed him back with eager urgency. His control broke completely and he came with an intensity that made him momentarily lose the use of his limbs.

"Bel… laa!" he ground out.

He sank toward her, but even in the throes of his orgasm, he was able to keep his weight from falling to rest on her body. He moved quickly, almost catlike, to roll onto his back and with the impetus, carried her to rest on top of him, without breaking stride and completing one final thrust.

Eventually, he felt her breathing even out and her heart rate return to its lilting, abnormal beating as he calmed her with feather-light caresses over her back, and gentle kisses on the top of her head.

"I love you, Mrs. Cullen," he whispered softly.

"Right back at you, Mr. Cullen," she murmured through a yawn.

Fully sated and exhausted, his bride was asleep in minutes. He rolled yet again until they were both on their sides and covered her with the sheets. He disposed of the condom at vampire speed and returned to their marriage bed to cuddle with his sleeping Bella. He re-dressed her in her gown without waking her, put a blanket between them to buffer her from his cold body, and drew her sleeping form into his arms. He would not sleep, but he would hold her all night until she woke up in the morning, when it would be the first sunrise they would experience together as man and wife.

~888~

Bella woke up to soft, cool kisses from her husband all over her face. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted with a fabulous breakfast in bed. Edward sat watching her eat with a smile that couldn't seem to leave his face. As she drank the last of her orange juice, she couldn't stand it anymore.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm just enjoying watching my beautiful wife eat breakfast," he answered playfully. She loved when he was like this. It was during these times they could both almost forget he was a vampire.

He approached her on the bed and moved the tray off to the side. Lifting her effortlessly in his arms, he carried her swiftly to the bathroom, where a bath was already drawn.

"How did you know I needed this?" she asked. She was deliciously sore and needed a lazy soak in a hot bath to soothe her residual body aches.

"I am, among other things, a doctor, you know."

"Right," she said, giving him a quick kiss on his gorgeous lips.

He set her down and she stretched languorously, her tiny nightgown riding up her thighs and just barely covering her hips. She did not remember putting it back on the night before and smiled when she realized that her husband must have aided her in this. Holding her arms high above her head, like a child, she invited him to pull the gown off for her. As he did so, she felt him stiffen and the playful smile disappeared from his face.

"What is it?" Bella asked anxiously.

Edward closed his eyes, a panicked growl issuing from his lips. Bella moved to the full-length mirror to get a look at herself. Her torso was littered with purplish-blue bruises, and a couple of them were unmistakably shaped like hand prints.

"Why didn't you tell me I was hurting you, Bella?" His voice was so anguished it sounded to her like a sob.

Her denial was quick. "You didn't hurt me." Moving into his arms, she wound her arms around his waist and squeezed. "I bruise easily, baby. Any human who has skin this white does."

It was as if he didn't hear her. "Are you in any pain?"

"No," she said. "I just feel like Emily Posa in 'Seven Pounds.' Making love with a weak heart takes a lot out of a person."

He looked confused.

"You know, the movie with Rosario Dawson and Will Smith…." He still regarded her quizzically. "Uh, never mind."

With a lascivious grin, she looped her fingers into his pajama bottoms and yanked them down far enough that they fell the rest of the way and pooled at his feet. "Come join me in the bath?"

~888~

The third day into their honeymoon, most of the sightseeing and tours they'd gone on were done by car. Edward didn't want to risk her having an episode while they were away from Seattle, but Bella felt like an invalid. Finally, she insisted they do some exploring on foot. They'd passed some quaint shops in the village and she wanted to see what they offered up close.

Edward tried to use his considerable skills in seduction to deter her, but she was determined not to let him win. As he kissed her down the column of her throat, he ghosted his palm over her breast, the coolness making her nipples pebble effortlessly. Warmth and wanting blossomed in her that she'd grown to recognize as desire.

"Baby, please," she said, steeling herself to resist.

"That's what I'm trying to do," he whispered against her skin, "please you."

She put her palms flat against his chest. He was so strong her push wouldn't move him unless he allowed himself to be moved. Bella pushed gently and he stepped away.

"You know that's not what I meant," Bella said. "We only have a couple more days here. I'd like to get gifts for my parents—for our families."

He smiled when she said our families, and it was the first indication Bella had that she might win this argument. But then he grew serious. "Dr. Burke made me promise not to let you overdo it here." His brow crinkled. "I thought you didn't like shopping."

She wove the fingers of both her hands in his and pressed her body back against his. "I don't like shopping for myself, but I'll make the sacrifice for people I love." She kissed him then, full on, holding nothing back.

He moaned, grabbed her up and within a split second she was on the bed, her beautiful husband hovering over her. "Give me one hour," he pleaded.

"One hour, and then we go out?" she said. She knew if she didn't clarify and get his word, he would find another way to keep her in.

"One hour…and then we go out," he murmured against her breast. His cool tongue sent shock waves of lust through her extremities and converged in the place he would fill and take away the aching need his kisses and caresses built in her. She grinned and ran her hands over the hard muscle and sinew of his back, happy that she had won this round with minimal persuasion.

~888~

The driver took them to Mauna Lani Bay where Bella found something for everyone on their list, including Angela and Ben. She rested on a bench after their final hour of intense browsing—she rolled her eyes just thinking about it—only her husband would describe browsing as "intense." Edward suggested they have a late lunch at a restaurant she had been eyeing in the Marketplace.

She gestured toward the bags. "Why don't we take these to the car so we won't have to wrangle them while—during lunch, sweetie?" She almost said "while we eat," but knew he would just pretend to do so. It was such a waste of money, she changed her mind. "Or maybe we should just go back to the bungalow and have something brought in?"

"You liked the menu at this restaurant, right?"

"Yeah, but—"

"No buts," Edward said, as he grabbed the bags up. "We're going. You rest here. I'll be right back."

With that he turned and headed in the direction of the car. Bella watched him walk away. He'd worn clothing, and a hat to cover every inch of his body, just in case the sun came out. He didn't want to sparkle and frighten any of the locals. She'd even covered his face and hands with some of her makeup to conceal his prismatic skin. If anyone inquired, they would fall back on his explanation of having circulatory issues. Only when the love of her life disappeared around a corner, did she turn her attention back to her surroundings.

The Marketplace was teeming with tourists, and filled with bright, fully-laden carrels of goods of every manner one could imagine. There were also services offered from nail salons and massages to astrology, psychics and tarot readings. A Filipino woman in brightly colored clothing approached Bella on the bench.

"You look like you could use some reassurance about your future," the woman said. She handed Bella a card, their hands touched briefly and the woman's eyebrows raised. "My shop is over there."

The name on the card and the sign read _Madame Diwata_. Apparently, she was a psychic.

"I don't think so," Bella said. "My sister-in-law does what you offer for free and probably with greater accuracy." She smiled to soften the blow of her words.

Madame Diwata smiled. "Are you sure about that? Has she told you that you face danger beyond what will happen with your surgery?"

Hair raised on Bella's neck. How did this stranger know about her surgery?

"Come on," Madame Diwata said. "If you still think I'm a quack after your reading, it'll be on the house."

Edward stepped between Bella and the woman, his voice low and even, but Bella could tell he teetered on the brink of losing control. "I think my wife indicated rather politely that she didn't need your services."

Madame Diwata shrunk back. "Aswang! Demon!" she hissed.

Bella stepped in front of Edward. "You're wrong," she said. "You don't even know us! My husband loves, demons don't."

Madame Diwata backed away. "You delude yourself, child," she said. "You put yourself in great danger entering his world!" And with that, she turned and ran back into her shop, bolted the door and flipped the _Closed_ sign in the window.

"As if that would stop you if we really wanted to go into her little shop." Bella shook with anger. How dare that old woman insult her husband like that. Edward was a vampire, but he wasn't a monster as that woman had insinuated. _Ignorance like hers is what keeps irrational prejudices alive and well in the world_, she thought.

Edward pulled Bella into his arms, trying to soothe her. "It doesn't matter," he said.

"She doesn't even know us! Alice could run rings around her little sideshow."

"Forget it. Let's go get you something to eat," he said, as he smoothed her hair away from her forehead and tucked it behind her ear. He smiled. "Let's not let her ruin our day."

"Okay." Bella beamed at her husband, trying to push Madame Diwata's unsolicited predictions out of her mind.

~888~

Edward surprised Bella by having the concierge set the bungalow up for them to watch a movie on the final night of their honeymoon after they came in from dinner. The sitting room was lit up with the ambient light of dozens of candles, a portable movie screen and a High Definition projector ready for their viewing pleasure. There was also chilled champagne in a bucket, with a plate of fresh fruit, Godiva chocolates, and freshly popped popcorn.

Bella squealed and leapt into his arms when they entered the room, and Edward was satisfied that his surprise was well-received.

"Oh baby, this is great!" she said looking around the room. "What are we watching?"

"Seven Pounds," he said, holding her with one arm as he closed the door.

She looked touched, her eyes misting. "You remembered," she murmured against his lips.

He kissed her tenderly. "That's my job," he said, and led her to the divan where he wrapped her in a warm afghan and settled her into his arms.

They were about thirty minutes into the movie before she tasted the movie snacks. "You know I won't be able to eat all this, right?"

He placed a kiss on the top of her head. "I know. Just keeping up appearances for the humans."

"Ooh, Baby, doesn't Will Smith do a great job of conveying Ben's pain? He reminds me so much of you when we first met."

"Did I actually look like I was about pass a kidney stone whenever I was around you? Not that I could. Physiologically, we don't experience the pain that humans experience anymore."

"Pffhh! Yeah!" She giggled. "You had that look down pat."

Edward laughed. "Please tell me I don't look like that anymore."

Bella kissed him softly on the lips. "No, you don't. Lately, it's been more like that." She pointed at Ben/Will who looked at Emily/Rosario like he wanted to eat her. As the onscreen love scene progressed, Edward engaged his bride in their very own, off-screen love scene, which he was happy to say, ended a heck of a lot better than Ben and Emily's.

They showered together and dressed for bed. Edward cradled Bella, wrapped in the warm afghan, in his arms. It was only a matter of minutes before she was breathing evenly and dreaming. He grabbed his cell phone and went out on the lanai.

"You're worried that there was some credence to what that woman said in the market, aren't you?" Alice asked. She didn't bother to say "hello," or "how's the honeymoon?" because she was already attuned to what was going on.

Edward looked out at the ocean in the distance. The moon was reflected off the water; the waves crashed violently on the shore as the tides came in.

"Do you see anything that might harm Bella in the near future?"

"I see a successful surgery, but I get garbled images when I try to see further into her future. I see a Volturi guard running from you, Emmett and Jasper. I see Bella being kept in a dark room at some point. Nothing else."

Edward squeezed the iron balustrade so hard it waffled under his touch. "We can't allow that future to happen," he said. "What do you see if we leave Seattle after her surgery?"

There was silence, then Alice sighed. "The same."

"So, are you telling me there's no escaping that future?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying," she assured him. "I'll keep looking for her, and for the Volturi to make sure Aro doesn't make any decisions that might affect Bella's future. Together we'll keep her safe, Edward."

Alice's visions weren't enough for him. Edward had to know more. He wrote Bella a note, informing her that he had gone out to feed, just in case she woke up while he was gone. The truth was he had to go see the fortune teller, Madame Diwata.

He sat calmly in a chair in the corner of her room, when the 'madame' woke up with a gasp. _Merciful Bathala, save Me!_ She addressed what Edward recognized as a Philippine deity. _Maybe he won't get a chance to kill me if I scream for the neighbors, _she thought next.

"Don't scream," he demanded. "I'm not here to harm you. I'm only here to find out what you know about my wife's future." He stood and walked slowly to her bed.

The woman sat up, eyes wide, clutching the covers to her chest. _Maybe he's not Aswang_, she thought. "You're a stregoni, aren't you?"

"Yes," he figured he would never see her again, so he answered truthfully.

"And you won't hurt me?"

"No."

She slumped against the headboard, relief rolling off her in waves. "I'd hoped that's what you were for your human wife's sake. Stregoni are not evil like the Aswang."

"What do you see concerning my wife's future?" He asked again, his voice harder.

"Only that she will be in danger as a human in your world."

"What's with you psychics not being more specific?" Edward wanted to punch something, but he held his anger in check.

"You've inquired of your sister?" Madame Diwata took a clove cigarette out of a packet on her bedside table and lit it.

His voice softened. "Yes, but she doesn't see clearly right now. I hoped you might."

"Do you have anything on you that belongs to your wife that she's touched recently?"

Edward came prepared. He handed her Bella's hairbrush.

Madame Diwata laid her cigarette in the ashtray, closed her eyes and held the brush with both hands. After a few seconds her eyes flew open and she dropped the brush.

"Someone will take your bride from you and keep her in a cold place. You must guard her very carefully, lest you lose her to an enemy."

He tried very hard to see what she saw, but he couldn't get a good visual. "Who is it? What does this enemy look like?"

"An Aswang," she said simply. "I don't see who, because I don't know this person."

Edward had known that bringing Bella into his world might prove to be dangerous for her, but he believed that being forewarned allowed him to be forearmed. He would not leave Bella's side as long as she was human. Somehow, he had to figure out a way to thwart the attempt that would be made to take her from him.

When he arrived back at the bungalow and checked to make sure Bella was still asleep, he went back out on the lanai and called his family. He would enlist their help in keeping Bella safe when they returned to the mainland.

~888~

Back in Seattle, a flurry of pre-surgery activities monopolized their time until the day came quicker than they anticipated. Bella was fully prepped for surgery, and Edward was at her side, dressed in sterile scrubs and holding her hand. The nurse had come in seconds ago and given her a sedative to get her ready for the anesthesia. Renee and Charlie had been in the room with them earlier, but they agreed that, as her husband, it was Edward's rightful place to stay with her until she was wheeled away.

Dr. Burke entered the room. "Hello, newlyweds," he said. "How was the honeymoon?"

Bella smiled at Dr. Burke, then looked up at her husband and smiled. "It was perfect," she said. Edward smiled, too, but she could see a bit of worry in his angelic face.

Dr. Burke stood opposite Edward on one side of the hospital bed, perusing Bella's medical chart. He scribbled something on it and looked down at her. "Why didn't you bring back some of that warm weather from Hawaii?" he teased.

Bella giggled. "Gee, Doc, we put that order in, but I guess there's a backlog of warm weather orders in Hawaii for the mainland right now."

"I guess it's just as well. Seattle wouldn't know what to do with that kind of weather this time of year." Dr. Burke glanced between Edward and Bella as he talked.

He took a small object out of his pocket, and continued. "This is the _Edwards_ surgical valve. We will replace all of your valves with these via open-heart surgery. The anesthesiologist will be in shortly. At that time, Edward, you'll need you to take your place in the theater above the OR. Your father told me you're pre-med. Hospital policy generally doesn't permit family to be in the theater, but I'm making this exception because the Chief vouched for you."

"If you were in my position, where would you be, Dr. Burke?" Edward asked calmly.

Dr. Burke didn't equivocate. "In the theater." He looked at Bella and winked. "See you in the surgical suite."

With that, Dr. Burke shook Edward's hand and strode from the room to scrub in.

Edward moved closer to Bella took her hand again and locked eyes with her. "Are you ready for this?"

"Yes, I am. I am so tired of being tired all the time. This surgery means I'll be able to be almost normal again. And I think it's a good omen that the valve replacements are called _Edwards_ surgical valves. It's like I'll have little artificial pieces of you in my heart. As damaged as it is, my heart already belongs to you, but these valves will make it even more yours, in a way." Her words poured out so quickly he couldn't help but smile.

"Is that you, or the sedative talking?" he teased.

"It's all me. I love you so much, Edward," she said, as hot tears began to course down her cheeks. "I need to tell you something."

"Yes, love," he answered anxiously, his hand gently gripping hers.

"I'm going to let your father make the call. I told Carlisle that if anything goes wrong in there, I want him to keep me alive, even if it's on the heart-lung machine long enough to change me."

"Bella… the transformation with a healthy heart is painful and excruciating enough. We have no idea how long it would take, or if the transformation is even possible with your weak heart. He should make that decision only if he fears you might code…"

"We have to trust Carlisle's judgment," she said. "He's going to be right there. I don't care how long it takes, I just want to come back to you in any way I can. I can't leave you to mourn for me for the rest of your existence."

"I couldn't bear my miserable existence, if you ceased to be."

"No… I won't hear any talk of ending your life…" she muttered, her tears flowing faster.

Edward hastened to comfort her, cupping her cheeks and sweeping her tears away with the pads of his thumbs. "Shh… I'm sorry, love. Please forgive my insensitive remarks. I didn't mean to upset you. But I would have no life without you."

"And I don't want to go wherever I would be going in an afterlife without you, so my request of Carlisle stands. I know he loves us both enough to honor my wishes."

Edward couldn't process in his vampire brain just how much his very human wife cared for him. Her willingness to give up her soul to be with him forever was absolutely mind-boggling. In this moment their love was so strong for each other, it was palpable.

He leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips, just as the anesthesiologist and a nurse entered the room. He whispered against her lips, "I'll be right here when you come out, Mrs. Cullen. I love you more than life itself. Come back to me."

~888~

Edward sat as close as he could to the glass separating him from the operating room where Dr. Burke, Dr. Webber, Dr. Yang, Carlisle, an anesthesiologist and three nurses had his wife anesthetized and splayed on the table, preparing to crack her chest open and repair her damaged heart. When they made the first incision, he growled and gripped the arms of his seat so hard, he felt the metal bending and the wood and plastic giving way. He took several deep, but otherwise unnecessary breaths and willed himself to calm down. In all likelihood, Bella wasn't feeling any of this, but it made him ache in the place where his heart had been to see her beautiful body desecrated, even if it made her whole again.

When Dr. Burke wielded the saw that would cut through her sternum, Carlisle looked up at Edward, his eyes conveying an unspoken message to his son to _be strong_. Edward blocked the thoughts of everyone in the operating room with the exception of Carlisle, because he had learned early on that having access to the thoughts of her healthcare givers infuriated him in ways that made him react violently. He didn't need to lose control in the hospital, especially while she was undergoing such a risky surgery.

He might have fared better by staying in the private waiting room with their families and friends. But knowing the intensity of his bond with his wife of just a few weeks, he would not have been able to bear being in a place where he couldn't see her while her life was in the hands of the human surgeon. It was of some consolation that Carlisle was in the OR with her, and he knew that his father would do whatever he had to do to ensure that no mistakes were made.

Carlisle was an internist by credentials, but he had been practicing medicine for so many decades, he had expertise in a wide variety of fields. With his keen vampire abilities, over the years he had been able to associate smell to certain conditions, could hear things that were undetectable by human ears, and see things almost on a molecular level that other physicians were not privy to. He was a good man to have in the room for any risky surgery.

Edward watched as Dr. Burke and his team opened her pericardium and placed her on the cardiopulmonary bypass, or heart-lung machine. Bella's breathing and the pumping of her blood was taken over by this machine to keep her and all her bodily tissues alive until her heart was restarted and would resume the process. After all the valves were in place, the stem cells were injected into the muscle, and an ultrasound of the heart through her esophagus verified that the new valves functioned properly.

Then pacing wires were put in place so that her heart could be manually paced should any complications arise after the surgery. Finally, they inserted drainage tubes to drain fluids from her chest and pericardium following the surgery. The surgery lasted five hours. Dr. Burke gave Edward a thumbs-up through the window of the theater when Dr. Yang began closing Bella's chest. The nurses wheeled Bella out of the OR to Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care, and Carlisle accompanied her there while Edward went to the private waiting room to give their family and friends the update.

When he entered the waiting room emotionally exhausted yet visibly relieved that Bella's ordeal was over, his family breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Charlie was in his face first, anxious. "How is she, Edward?"

"She came through the surgery just fine. She's in Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care now. Carlisle will let us know when we can see her," he answered.

Renee, who shed copious tears, threw her arms around Edward. "Thanks to you, your dad, and Dr. Burke, for taking such good care of our little girl."

Edward greeted Esme, his siblings, Angela and Ben and then went back to be near Bella until they would allow him to see her.

~888~

Bella's first coherent thought after coming out of the anesthesia was one of gratitude that she had come back to Edward as he had requested. They managed her pain, and she was placed on various medications to keep her repaired heart in tip top shape. She spent three days in CSICU where she saw Edward and her family on a schedule, except for Jasper, between mega doses of Demerol, her doctors and nurses coming in and out, and her chest slowly beginning to feel less and less like an elephant sat on it. Carlisle kept her admitted at Seattle Grace throughout her ten day convalescence until they took her pacing wires out and sent her home. Renee came back to Seattle when she was released from the hospital and set up camp in their guest bedroom at their condo. After several days of bickering with Edward over who got to fluff her pillows, assist her to the bathroom, give her medication, and bring her food, Bella'd had enough.

"Mom, I love you for coming to help take care of me, but you've done just that for 20 years. Edward hasn't had an opportunity to take care of me for very long, and he wants to, so much. Go home to Dad and take care of him. I'm sure he misses you." Bella used every available bit of ammunition in her arsenal.

Renee drove Edward crazy doing everything in slow, methodical, human speed. To his credit, he didn't complain, but Bella knew that having her mother around forced him to be extra careful about everything, so she wouldn't discover the secret. He pretended to eat, drink, and use the bathroom and did everything slow enough to convince Renee of his humanness.

"Are you sure, baby? You two have only been married a few weeks, and now Edward's doing all this. Are you sure it won't overwhelm him?" Renee asked pensively.

"Mom, Edward is pre-med. This is great practice for him, and he loves me and wants to do it. Go home to Dad. You can call us every day to check on my progress."

"All right, since you insist," Renee said, giving her a loose hug, so as not to squeeze her too tight and injure her healing sternum. When Edward came back from the kitchen with Bella's lunch, he pretended not to know what was going on.

"Mom's going home," Bella announced as he approached her bed with the tray.

"Really? Why so soon?" He positioned the tray in front of Bella and looked quizzically at his mother-in-law.

"My baby doesn't need me anymore," Renee teased.

"Mom…," Bella chided her softly.

"Just kidding, sweetie. I'm just glad you have such a capable husband to take care of you. I guess I'll go pack up so I can go home tomorrow." Renee started toward the door.

"I'll be happy to book a flight for you to Port Angeles and let the Chief know when your flight will be arriving," Edward offered.

Renee turned and smiled. "I was just gonna call Charlie and have him pick me up. Don't go to any trouble."

"It's never any trouble to take care of family," he said, trying not to look so happy that she was finally leaving.

~888~

**E/N: The contest might slow my updating briefly, but I'll do everything in my power to keep that from happening. **

**Review and let me know what you think about Madame Diwata's predictions of impending doom. I'd like to hear your predictions**.

An Aswang (or Asuwang) is a mythical creature in _**Philippine**_ folklore. The aswang is an inherently evil _**vampire**_-like creature and is the subject of a wide variety of myths and stories, the details of which vary greatly.


	11. Chapter 10 Yuletide Canticle

_**A/N: **Thanks so much to the usual suspects: Shug for beta'ing the original, Songster51 for beta'ing this iteration, and Renee Aubin for pre-reading. You all rock!_

_Any mistakes made are all mine, as I tweaked it a bit more after they sent it back to me._

_Myself and an ensemble cast of respected authors, prolific readers, extraordinary betas and very talented graphic artists are hosting the "Truly Anonymous Twilight Picture Prompt Contest." Please follow me on Twitter at trulyanoncntst, or visit our website _

_http : / ficcontest (dot) info/ (close the spaces and insert a dot in order to read the contest page. FFn rejects the webpages)._

**Yuletide Canticle**

**Chapter 10**

Without Renee underfoot, Edward endeavored to be the most exceptional post-surgery caregiver and spouse he could be. In fact, he'd gone overboard a few times and hadn't given Bella enough leeway to test her own limits when she began to feel better.

"You know, I will eventually have to get out of this bed on my own, right?" She'd said the day after her mother left and he'd carried her to the bathroom a half a dozen times.

He had been sheepish and nervous. "You're right. My training has gone out the window. Just don't overdo it, okay?"

"Okay," she said, but shook her head as if to say, _I can't believe you._

It only took a few days for her to insist that she could walk to the bathroom without assistance, and a week for her to take over her own toilette. She allowed him to continue to change her bandages, only because it was awkward for her while she wasn't one hundred percent ambulatory.

"It's ugly, isn't it?" She asked the first time he changed the dressing after her mother left. She blushed a shade of crimson that competed with the angry redness surrounding the incision.

"No. It's still healing. Dr. Yang's surgical suturing technique is like a work of art. The scarring should be minimal once the staples are removed and it heals completely."

"But there will be a scar." She sounded resigned, and the fact that he couldn't do anything about it made his motionless heart ache.

She didn't inquire about it again, but he noticed she never fully bared her scar to him when the bandaging became unnecessary. He had to ask her to see it to make sure it was healing properly, and then she would immediately put her pajama top or shirt back on. He tried to get her to talk about it, but she refused to engage.

Never, since he'd known her thoughts were closed to him, had he wanted to read her mind more. It hadn't occurred to him that she would have to deal both physically and emotionally with her recuperation. He might have been lost were it not for Carlisle who talked him off the figurative ledge more than once, and coached him on how to deal with his wife's rapidly changing emotions.

"She needs your loving support more than anything, Edward. Be her sounding board if she wants to talk, and a strong shoulder if she wants to cry," Carlisle advised. "Let Dr. Burke be her physician."

Only twice had he needed to hold her through tears. Once when she'd tried to go too long without her pain meds, and later when the incision itched to the point of insanity.

One thing he found easy during Bella's recuperation, was getting her back into her studies. Their professors at UW had been understanding and allowed them to do their coursework via the internet and administered their exams by proxy.

Finally, she had recovered enough in two months to resume going physically to class again. Edward doubled as a personal bodyguard while their devoted vampire family provided a protection detail that Bella was yet unaware of. Edward knew he wouldn't be able to keep his concern for her safety secret much longer. He feared Bella would spot their family members shadowing them, so he decided to come clean at the end of their first week back to class.

It was a Friday, and he'd made her chateaubriand for dinner and sat with her at the table watching her eat.

"Baby, this is so good. Is there some special occasion I've forgotten?" She smiled and took a sip of red wine.

Edward was confident she knew full well what the occasion was, but was playing coy. For two weeks she'd been clamoring to resume their physical relationship, but he'd remained adamant that she needed the additional time to allow her body to heal.

He smiled and played along. "I just thought we might celebrate your recuperation and return to school."

He moved to top off her glass again, but she held her hand over the rim of the glass. "Are you trying to get me tipsy so you can have your wicked way with me, Mr. Cullen?"

If vampires could blush, he would've been doing so at that moment. Instead, he grinned, re-corked the wine bottle and ran a nervous hand through his hair. It took all his willpower not to pace. He was looking for the perfect opportunity to broach the subject of her safety.

Bella put her fork down and looked at him in that knowing way she'd possessed from the beginning and had perfected since they'd been married.

"The sooner you tell me what it is, the sooner we can finish dinner and move on to dessert," she said with a devious smirk. Then her eyes widened, "Don't tell me you're still afraid I'm not up to it?"

"It's not that." Edward sat back down and took her hand in his. "I wanted you to get better before I told you something else, and now it's time." He saw concern in her beautiful brown eyes and wished he didn't have to put such a damper on her happiness. "Alice's visions are in agreement with what Madame Diwata said when we were in Hawaii."

"Are you talking about the fortune teller who approached me in the marketplace?"

"Yes." Edward felt a pain that he'd never experienced in all his years as a vampire. "Her prediction is credible, so our family is determined to keep you safe."

"How's that?"

"At least two of them will shadow us at all times, now that you're back at school."

"Really?" Bella pushed her plate away. "Oh, wow…"

Edward caressed her hand and implored her with his eyes. "Don't be afraid, we've got you covered."

"But for how long? Your family shouldn't have to babysit me forever."

"Believe me, it's no problem. We can do this for as long as long as we have to—as long as there's a threat to you."

She moved out of her chair and found solace in his lap. "Is there any way to pinpoint when this occurs so we can better prepare?"

"Alice watches every conceivable threat source, but there haven't been any decisions made that can help her pin it down."

She frowned. "So, does this mean that I need to quit school now and be changed immediately?"

"Not immediately, but I think we need to consider doing it sooner rather than later," he said. "I know the decision to become one of us has been a source of contention. Well, for me especially, but if it means the difference between you being weak and vulnerable, or strong enough to protect yourself, I go for the latter."

"So do I," Bella said. "But I didn't want to leave my parents so soon. Could we possibly put it off until after the summer, when we're leaving for school anyway?"

"We can stop by tomorrow and run some scenarios with Alice—also see what Carlisle thinks we should do."

"Good plan," Bella said, and straddled him on the chair. "I think I'm ready for dessert."

She could feel him growing and she wriggled sensuously on his lap.

"Bella," he groaned in warning. She ignored him and peppered kisses over his face and neck.

"It's been eight weeks," she panted. "We're good right?"

"Right—" Her next movement rendered him at a loss for words as she rocked against his groin. Edward stood, holding her against him with one hand under her bottom and another around her torso, and took off for their bedroom.

He had never carried her at breakneck speed through their home when she'd been recuperating, but this was an exception. Bella was on the bed and undressed before she realized what was going on, her slight body weight absorbed by the down comforter. There had been no full-on lovemaking to speak of since the surgery, and he was as anxious as she was now that they'd reached the first hurdle of her recovery. They could resume _all_ normal activities.

_It had been too long._

~888~

Bella looked up at him as he pulled his shirt over his head as his broad shoulders and perfectly sculpted chest came into view. Her eyes lingered on his pecs, remembering how his cool chest felt against her breasts.

She realized she would not be satisfied until she had his hard body braced above hers, until she felt him inside her, but she would force herself to wait for that treat. When he dropped his pants and she saw his need, she changed her mind. She reached for him as he moved to join her on the bed and wound her body around his like her limbs were made of rubber. Joining their mouths, she kissed him with an eagerness that made him pull away.

"Bella, we should go easy," he said. "It's been a while and I don't want to lose control with you."

When he looked at her scar, her cheeks grew warm in embarrassment, and she crossed her arms over her chest. Edward gently moved her hands and kissed the incision from top to bottom.

"I love this," his cool lips murmured against her skin. "It's what saved your life for me."

He tweaked her nipples with his long fingers, drawing them into hardened peaks, and pleasure rippled from her sensitive buds to the tips of her toes. Bella moaned, and found herself arching into his hands as he palmed and kneaded her breasts again and again. He moved his lips to her neck and she stretched to give him better access. She could hardly breathe as his lips nipped, licked and teased her throat, sucking her pulse point into his cool mouth, the sensation laying waste to all the nerve endings in her body.

Edward seemed to sense her need building. He slid down from where he hovered, inches over her body, hands traveling down her sides, her waist, her hips, until he was between her legs. His hand slid between her legs, where his cool fingers claimed her swollen clit and teased it. Bella's breath caught in her throat at the action, and her mind slipped beyond rational thought. She reveled in the pleasure as her husband's fingers slid into her sensitive folds, and pleasured her to the brink of frustration.

The tension that built low in her stomach demanded more, causing her to rock against his fingers. But as she pressed against his hand, he took it from her reach. Her first thought was to object, and it was on the tip of her tongue, but the most she could manage was a gasp when the coolness of his mouth closed over her.

With gentle precision his tongue lapped at her with delicious insistence, making the tension in her stomach knot, and build again, until her muscles clenched and a flutter of spasms delivered staccato bursts of pleasure as she cried out her release. The pleasure seemed to go on and on, until the last flutter passed, leaving only the beautiful sensation of satiation and satisfaction.

"Oh Edward," she said, laughing, almost embarrassed by how intensely she came. "That was…" She decided no word was adequate to complete the thought.

Edward chuckled and moved up on the bed to hover over her again, but then maneuvered her on top of him. She grasped his hard length in her hand and lifted her gaze to his eyes, searching for his reaction, and finding the response she sought.

She wanted to explore the effect her mouth might have on him, but his hand covered hers. "As much as I'd love you to touch me like that, I need to be inside you right now."

He didn't wait for her to acquiesce, but pushed up, and his erection slipped into the slick heat of her arousal, and his mouth captured hers in a searing kiss. Hot desire poured through her as she felt the twin sensations of their tongues and lower bodies tangoing in a wicked dance of need.

Reaching downward, she laced her hands through his hair and held him captive as best she could, fearing that he would think it was all too much and leave himself unsatisfied. She needn't have worried as Edward thrust as deep as he dared given her fragility. Then they moved together in concert, a slow seductive rhythm of their bodies melding together back and forth. Hands caressing, exploring, touching as if starving for one another.

Bella felt as if she were a kid again on a carnival ride, so adventurous was their shared passion. Nothing existed for her except the consummation of their love—Edward moving beneath her and the storm of another orgasm building within her. She met the pump of his hips with her own, her kisses as demanding as her body. Edward met each stroke of her tongue and thrust of her hips with his own, which pulled her deeper into a fog of need. Soon the ache of being so very near her release catapulted her into frenzied movement, and he palmed her ass with his hands to anchor her and hold her steady, striving to keep his tenuous control.

They moaned together as she exploded, her muscled walls massaging his hard length, milking him for their mutual pleasure. He pumped up as she ground down and he shuddered through his own release.

"Love you," Bella said, as her body softened into satisfied bliss. His naturally cold body felt hot everywhere their skin touched.

"I love you, too," he said, as he shifted her to place a blanket between them, then held her close again. He kissed her softly and caressed her back until she drifted off to sleep.

~888~

Bella was excited to be able to get out and visit their extended family Saturday afternoon. During her recovery, she was largely housebound, so they'd visited her. The Cullens' home in Seattle was as different as night and day from their Forks property. This one was a brick Tudor-style on five acres of formal English gardens and lawns with another fifteen acres of undeveloped land around it. She marveled at Esme and Alice's keen eye for decoration—how they intuitively accentuated each home's style with the perfect furnishings.

This one boasted a formal living room with decorative leaded celerestory windows and a banquet-sized dining room. Carlisle had a large charcoal-gray library with a gorgeous crystal chandelier behind the center hall, which accessed the terrace and gardens through the same French doors she'd walked through with Charlie when they were married.

Edward used the key Carlisle and Esme had given them when they'd moved in, and they found Rosalie and Emmett in the game room on the third floor playing Resistance: Fall of Man 3 on the PS3. This was Emmett's second favorite game, because he sometimes forgot his own strength while playing the more physical games and had destroyed five previous foosball tables, until Esme put her foot down and wouldn't order another one.

"I've run out of excuses to give the dealer, Emmett," she protested.

"Aw, Mom, I'll be more careful next time – I've got it figured out now."

"That's what you said the last time."

Bella couldn't help but smile at how much like a real family they were, despite neither of them having ever been blood relations. Well, actually they kind of were _blood relations_, come to think of it.

"Hey!" Emmett said as they entered the room. Rosalie took advantage of him looking away, and her Chimeran soldier creamed him. "Damn, my mate just killed me again."

Rosalie laughed a devious little laugh and then addressed them. "Hi guys. I'm just teaching my over-confident husband a lesson in humility. Are you going to be here a while?"

Bella giggled. "Heck yeah. I want a turn." She plopped down on the couch next to Rosalie, who gave her an air smooch and concentrated on the game again.

Emmett was incredulous. "You play video games?"

"Please—my dad raised me on old-school games like Pinball and Ms. Pac Man. I dragged him kicking and screaming into the electronic age."

Edward, with a shocked look on his face, bumped fists with Emmett, who also went back to defending himself from Rosalie's attacks.

"We have a PS3 and Xbox 360, which you've not even bothered to look at since we've been together," Edward teased.

"Can I help it if my husband is so—distracting?" she said with an embarrassed smile.

"Never thought I'd see the day when my little bro was getting some on the regular," a filter-less Emmett guffawed.

Rosalie looked away from the game with a commiserating smile for Bella and then scolded Emmett good-naturedly. "Babe, you promised not to tease them."

"Maybe I should tell Bella how many pieces of Esme's furniture you've destroyed," Edward said, and smacked Emmett on the back of the head, then stood behind the couch over Rosalie with his hands in his pockets, humming.

Emmett growled and took a fleeting look back at him. "Stop helping her, dude. Rose has already got three kills to my one."

"Baby, let the best vampire win," Bella mock-reprimanded. "Cause this human's gonna beat whichever vampire emerges victorious."

"Bad ass!" Emmett boomed.

Edward chuckled and moved to where Bella sat and leaned down to kiss her on the top of her head. "Okay, I'm going to find Carlisle. If he's in his office, he might not have heard us come in."

Alice and Jasper came in as Edward left and Alice gravitated to Bella like a homing pigeon. "Bella!"

Bella stood and gave her as much of a squeeze as she could. "Hey, girlfriend. Hey, Jasper."

"Hey, Bella," Jasper said with a smile. "So, you're good as new now, huh?"

Bella could tell from the golden hue of his eyes that it was okay to hug him, so she did.

"Yes, I am."

Esme joined them and exacted a hug from Bella and they sat in the armchairs facing the fireplace while Rosalie and Emmett continued their noisy play in the background—schooling one another back and forth and talking trash.

Bella had an agenda that she wanted to further and get buy-in from the family before she told Edward what she wanted to do.

"Alice, I've made a decision, sort of, and just wanted to know whether you feel it might be a good idea, considering what could happen," Bella said. She looked from face to face and continued. "I know Edward has had you all taking part in a protection detail for me, so I want to ease your burden, and hopefully change the trajectory of the future."

Alice smiled and answered her unspoken question. "If you guys move in with us, it will bring the odds way down that an attempt will be made soon. I don't see the definitive outcome."

"What do you see?" Esme asked in a serious tone.

Nervous, she shifted her eyes to Jasper. "Let's wait until Edward and Carlisle come down. He should know this, too."

As if on cue, Edward and Carlisle practically beamed into the room. Edward sat on the arm of Bella's chair and Carlisle stood behind Esme's chair massaging her shoulders.

"What should I know?" Edward asked.

"The Volturi have been discussing Bella," Alice said. Rosalie and Emmett moved over to them so fast Bella felt the air stir.

Edward's next question was immediate. "Have you seen any plots for them to abduct Bella?"

"No, actually they haven't made any unanimous nor firm decisions about her yet. Well, Caius has. He thinks she should be…" Alice faltered. Jasper looked deep into her eyes as if to calm her.

Edward took Bella's hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "What?" Bella asked.

"He's always been the irrational one when it comes to meting out vampire justice," Carlisle said. "His decisions are never merciful. Thankfully, Aro and Marcus overrule him a great deal of the time. Our decision to tell them before Tanya did is what's given Aro and Marcus pause, I guarantee you that."

Bella swallowed, but her mouth was uncharacteristically dry. "So, this Caius wants me dead?"

"That's not going to happen," Edward said, a determined yet soothing edge to his voice. He addressed his sister again. "What do you see happening if Carlisle contacts Aro again with an earlier timeline for changing Bella."

"That could work, but it may not be necessary," Alice said.

"Why?" Bella asked.

"Because the Volturi have been tracking three more pressing situations around the world. They expect vampires have been killing locals in and around three large cities. They want to make sure no one has amassed large newborn populations where they would have to step in."

"Given the differing terrains and the territories they would have to cover, it could take several months, possibly a year, for them to resolve these situations," Carlisle said. "Then by that time, they may have tabled a decision regarding you indefinitely."

"I hope that's the case," Bella said. "I didn't want to leave my parents so soon, and I want to go on to graduate school. But I don't want to put you guys at risk, either."

"What are the chances that Caius might sway Aro and Marcus?" Edward asked.

"Doesn't seem likely," Alice said. "They consider themselves the more benevolent of the three."

Edward smiled and caressed Bella's cheek. "Looks as if you'll be going to graduate school after all, my love."

"We should approach this with care and continue to be on the alert for anything that could change the situation," Carlisle said. "The Volturi are capricious at best."

"So, we should continue the protection detail?" Rosalie said.

Carlisle was grave. "Yes, given Bella's vulnerability, I think we should err on the side of caution. Should the Volturi decide to take Bella for whatever reason, they will send their most powerful guards. Edward won't be able to protect her on his own."

Bella looked up into Edward's eyes. "If that's the case, I think we should move in with the family until I'm changed."

Edward spluttered. "What—Bella?"

She took his hand in hers. "I know, we've had an extended honeymoon on our own, but if your family's going to be protecting me, I think they should be able to do it from the comfort of their own home the majority of the time."

"You'll get over the embarrassment of the family hearing your every intimate moment soon enough," Emmett said with a smirk. "It's not like you haven't already heard more than all of us combined over the decades."

Edward shook his head in incredulity, and Bella smiled and took his hand. "Let's look at the bright side. This way I'll get to know everyone better in a hurry."

Emmett laughed, and soon the whole family joined in.

~888~

Although it was April by the time they'd returned to the classroom, they were not behind in any of their classes. As a matter of fact, Bella was still up for Magna Cum Laude, as was Edward. He was proud of her accomplishments. They'd completed applications for Dartmouth, Harvard and Yale and expected replies sometime before graduation. If the situation changed and it turned out that they would have to turn her before that time, they would simply withdraw and reapply later, when Bella was able to be around humans.

The rest of the semester became a routine of school with two other family members in tow on a rotating basis, who audited classes and/or hung out with them on campus. Bella used the excuse of catching up on her studies to avoid traveling to Forks, so roughly twice a month, her parents came to Seattle and stayed with them in the condo.

Before they knew it, it was graduation day, and Renee and Charlie made the trek to see Bella and Edward graduate. Alice and Esme were given another reason to throw a fabulous party, and they did so, inviting most of the same people who had been in attendance at their wedding, with the exception of the Denali coven, which politely declined. Alice had a vision that the sisters would quarrel, and Kate confirmed when she called that Tanya lived apart from them, but Edward didn't pry further.

Before the guests arrived, the family converged in the well-appointed living room at the Cullen estate where Edward heard Charlie thinking about his and Bella's future plans. He was always fascinated when he listened to his father-in-law's thoughts.

_I'll bet my pension he's about to tell us he's carting Bells off to some swanky upper-crust school on the East coast._

Early on, Edward believed Charlie to be simple-minded, but after spending time with him on more than a half dozen occasions since Bella's surgery, he'd realized that the man had a rather complex thought process. As a law enforcement officer, he'd always experienced some uneasiness about Edward that he couldn't quite put his finger on, but he usually talked himself out of it in the same inner monologue in which he questioned it.

Each time he'd been in their presence Charlie had been so grateful that Bella was happy, cared for, and thriving that he chastised himself for ever doubting his son-in-law. Edward smiled when Charlie decided to give voice to his current ruminations.

"Any word from those Ivy League schools yet, son?" Charlie asked. Bella smiled and squeezed Edward's hand when Charlie called him son.

"Yes, sir. I've been accepted at Dartmouth, Harvard and Yale..." Then he looked at his wife like the cat who'd swallowed the canary. "And so has Bella."

Bella was surprised, incredulous even. "When did we get this news?"

"Just last week. I wanted it to be a surprise. A graduation present of sorts," he said, grazing her temple with his lips. "Congratulations, love."

"Aww," Renee crooned. "Now you'll be together in graduate and medical school. I just mentioned to Charlie this morning what a wonderful husband you've been to our Bella and what a great son-in-law you've been to us." Edward never feared anything less than salubrious thoughts about him from Renee. Her mind was almost childlike in its simplicity.

Charlie kind of rolled his eyes but spoke up anyway. "Yeah, Edward… uh, thanks for taking such good care of Bells. I kinda had my doubts about you in the beginning, but you have proven to be exactly what the doctor ordered for her, so to speak. We tried to play it safe, but we were too conservative out of fear. You made sure she got a new lease on life, and we can't thank you enough for that."

"I can't accept thanks for such a pure labor of love," Edward said, pulling Bella closer to his side.

~888~

The vampire in the car rattled off specific instructions while driving past the Cullen house.

"We're not going to get out of the car because they would lock on our scents within seconds." The vampire pointed to the house nestled in the trees about a quarter of a mile away from the road where they crept along.

"The cable guy must have followed my instructions to the letter, or they'd be on to us. The big one, Emmett, couldn't go a day without his precious entertainment, even though they're leaving for Europe in a few days. The technician planted the listening devices in places where it will be difficult for even the keenest vampire ears to discover them, and the receiving equipment in the van will be manned by the human Private Investigator."

"Are you sure we can trust him?" the other car occupant asked.

"The money will keep him quiet until we have no more use for him, then our secret will die with him, just like it did with the cable technician."

"Why can't we just follow them to Europe and take her? Americans are abducted there every day."

"This can't be traced back to me, stupid. The Volturi would not be happy."

Dark eyes flashed with anger. "Just because I don't think like you, doesn't mean I'm stupid."

"Please forgive me. I forget you have such human limitations. How can I make it up to you?" Red eyes implored, as a tongue moistened red lips "Let's go back to the hotel, shall we?"

Anger dissipated, and sullen eyes lit up like Roman candles. "That sounds like a great start."

~888~

Bella almost felt guilty, she was so blissfully happy. They'd spent part of the summer preparing for their matriculation into the hallowed halls of Harvard University. The Cullen family all helped with Bella's language requirements. They spoke only French, or Italian, and quizzed her on Latin phrases as they all prepared to take a European vacation.

A few days prior to the summer vacation that would be an extended second honeymoon for them, they discussed their plans for school. Edward prepared lunch for her in the kitchen of the Cullen mansion. The kitchen was a chef's dream. It had a Viking professional range, Northland designer series sub-zero refrigerator with matching beverage and wine cooler, ample cabinetry and granite countertops.

Edward had the supplies for the next few days for her meals worked out exactly, so they wouldn't leave any perishable food in the refrigerator. Bella had the Harvard catalogue and European travel brochures splayed over the island and typed sporadic notes into her laptop.

"I'm going to go with a dual track and get both a master's degree and PhD in Romance Languages and Literature. My concentration will be French, Francophone and Italian traditions working in a range of periods, genres, and approaches. I'll need to get a little more up to speed in Italian and Latin."

They were about to depart on a seven week European vacation, to immerse her in the languages. There would be at least two family members with them in every location. In London, Rosalie and Emmett would be their companions, Jasper and Alice would accompany them in Paris, and Carlisle and Esme would chaperone them the remainder of the time in Rome. That way, if they encountered any Volturi in Rome, Carlisle could run interference. The other family wouldn't be far away should they be needed, since they'd all be in Europe for the whole seven weeks, except Carlisle, who would only be with them for the three weeks in Rome because of his hospital obligations.

Edward made a pass by her and pressed his lips gently to her temple. "I can help more with that, if you want," he said, taking a bowl down from the cabinet in one fluid motion. Within seconds, a beautiful salad appeared magically in the bowl.

"You are quite the salad maker and linguist, oh husband mine," she teased.

"Ninety years with no sleep gives you a great deal of time to learn superfluous things. Some that come in quite handy, I might add."

"I can't wait until I'm able to do that," she said.

"Careful what you wish for." He set the salad in front of her with a beautifully folded napkin and polished silverware and flitted back to the stove to finish her Panini.

Bella breathed deep. "That smells divine," she said and tucked into her salad.

"It has no appeal to me whatsoever." Edward deadpanned.

Bella smirked as she chomped on her salad, then asked, "This being your third medical degree, do you think you'll ever be able to practice?"

Edward looked morose. "It's been twenty years since I got the last one, and there's been no change."

"But you're different now. Even Carlisle says so," Bella insisted.

"I refrain from taking your blood because I love you," he said. "Don't know if I'll be able to extend that courtesy to any other human."

"Then why get another medical degree?"

"Because Harvard is ranked as the top medical school for research," Edward explained.

"I've come to the conclusion that I can do just as much good behind a microscope in lieu of treating patients."

"Good point." Bella sipped her lemonade.

"Research is a worthy endeavor; I would just need to be careful not to bring any attention or notoriety to myself."

"Why? Don't you want people to know if you find the cure for say, cancer?"

"If I became a public figure, there would be publicity and press photos I would not be able to explain away years later when I look exactly the same as I did when the photo was taken."

"Right. How could I forget rule number one: keep the secret?"

"Besides, I could work with well-known researchers with huge egos upon whom I can foist any discoveries I make. They would relish the notoriety." He set the perfect Panini in front of her, and she raised her lips to his to reward him with a kiss.

"Thanks." She bit into the sandwich, chewed and swallowed, while Edward watched, eager for approval. "Yum, this is better than any restaurant sandwich I've ever had."

Edward grinned, relaxed and sat on a bar stool next to her.

"I can't wait to have you enjoy a proper English Tea, dine on French haute cuisine, and taste freshly made Italian pasta," he said.

"Live vicariously through your wife, why don't you." Her eyes grew soft as realization dawned. "This will all be so 'old hat' for you, won't it?"

He took her hand in his. "No, because I will be seeing it anew through your eyes, savoring your first experiences."

Bella cupped his cheek and leaned in to kiss the husband that she loved more every day, despite who and what he was.

~888~

Now that Bella was healthy, and Edward made sure she stayed that way, they spent the majority of their time with the Cullen clan proper at the mansion. Bella loved talking to Carlisle about their history and getting his unique perspective on the many decades he'd lived through. He had an extremely large collection of literature and art from the various eras in which he'd lived. She was equally fascinated and repulsed by the stories he told her about the unholy trinity when she discovered the painting of them in his office.

Aro, Marcus, and Caius were all at once beautiful, yet grotesque to behold. Their unnatural red eyes seemed to pierce the very soul of anyone who came under their gaze, even in a painting, no less. They were lethal in the power they wielded over the vampire world. Her unspoken prayer was that she and Edward would never have to come in contact with the Volturi, and she voiced as much to Carlisle the day before they would leave for Europe.

"It would be fine with me if we never met them, Carlisle," Bella said and shivered. Edward put his arm around her and held her close.

"I'm afraid you two may not have a choice." Carlisle's words were solemn. "I contacted Aro last week and he called me back this morning. I didn't want the Volturi to get wind of our European travels and view our avoidance of them as an affront. Aro has asked to have an audience with you two in the fall."

Bella gasped, and Edward growled, his voice hard. "Carlisle!"

Carlisle held his hands up, as if to say hold on. "However, this is what I propose, son. I will go to Volterra alone to try and reason with him. They will contact me again when they are ready to receive you, but it might be a while before we have to do anything. They often get distracted and move on to other things. It's possible they won't remember this for years."

"You said that before, but apparently the newborn situation in Africa, South America and Australia hasn't kept them busy enough," Edward said.

"Baby," Bella soothed. "If we have to go, let's just go. I can face them—we'll manage."

"Alice!" Edward called. No sooner had her name escaped his lips she was there.

Alice knew what he wanted. "I've looked. They will want to see you sometime in September," Alice said.

"Even if we were inclined to go, which we are not, now might be the only time we could go," Edward said. "September is out of the question. We'll be at Harvard then."

The Volturi summons shook her up, robbing Bella of her excitement about their trip. Prior to settling on McGill University in Montreal, Bella's big dream had been to attend the École Normale Supérieure de Paris (National University of Paris), but Montreal had been the farthest her doctor would allow her to travel because of the precarious nature of her health. She managed a faint smile for her husband, because any time she could spend with him was great, but spending time with him in some of the most romantic cities in the world would be epic.

Alice continued sharing the Volturi's thoughts about Bella, not holding anything back. "It's not firm, because they haven't made up their minds yet. Marcus is still intrigued by Edward's devotion to a human, Caius wants Bella dead, and Aro is interested in what Bella might be like as a vampire. Tanya told Aro that you can't read Bella's mind, Edward, so he thinks she might be a gifted vampire once she's turned."

"While we're in Europe, this might be just the time to convince them that I intend to become a vampire, but hopefully after Edward and I are finished at Harvard," Bella reasoned.

"The problem is, you don't get an audience with the Volturi until they are ready to give you an audience," Carlisle reminded her. "Then they could remove the convention of choice from you entirely, or give you a rare reprieve."

"In a perfect world, when I become a vampire, I'd like for it to be at a time of my choosing, and have my husband do the honors. I don't plan on working for the dark side after I'm changed, either." Bella's words were bolder than she felt.

"The dark side?" Carlisle asked, bemused.

She rolled her eyes. "You know, the Volturi trinity's coven."

"Then it's settled," Carlisle said. "I'll take the meeting with the Volturi in September and negotiate with Aro about delaying Bella's date with immortality, as you all relocate the Cullen household while I'm gone."

"You guys are coming with us to Cambridge?" Bella asked excitedly.

"Where else did you think we would be while you and Edward were getting educated, little sis?" Alice asked rhetorically, with the largest smirk her tiny little mouth could muster.

~888~

**E/N: **Thanks for being patient considering all my extra-curricular activities right now.

Review and let me know if you think the Cullens have done enough to safeguard Bella against her future until she's changed? Or will the pair in the car throw a huge chink in the Volturi's plans? I love hearing your theories.


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